Wanda/Elizabeth One-Shots

Normal for a day (W.M)

Wanda rolled over with a contented sigh, reaching across the bed to cuddle up to her favorite human space heater. But her seeking arms grasped only empty sheets.

Blinking awake in confusion, Wanda saw no sign of Ethan. That was odd - he almost always slept in later than her, often needing to be dragged out of bed. Where could he be?

Pulling on her robe, Wanda ventured out into the compound in search of her wayward boyfriend. She expected to find him causing some kind of chaotic scene as usual. Ethan was not known for quiet, restful mornings.

But strangely, the kitchen was calm when she entered. No billowing smoke or flashing gadgets indicating Ethan had tried (and utterly failed) to cook breakfast again. Just Steve and Bucky sipping coffee at the table.

"Morning fellas. Have you seen Ethan?" Wanda asked.

The men shook their heads in tandem. "Haven't heard a peep from him. We figured he was still asleep," Steve replied.

Wanda frowned. Okay, that was definitely odd. An Ethan awake before noon but not enthusiastically wrecking havoc? She almost wondered if he was ill.

Continuing her search, she ran into Natasha and asked if the spy knew her boyfriend's whereabouts. Natasha just raised an eyebrow. "Ethan's been radio silent so far. I assumed he died in his sleep."

Scott chimed in with similar confusion when Wanda queried him. Sam merely chuckled, "I was enjoying the peace and quiet while it lasted."

Wanda was really growing puzzled - and slightly concerned - now. An absent Ethan typically meant he was off getting himself into trouble. She quickened her pace.

Just when she was about to really start panicking, Wanda rounding a corner and practically smacked right into Tony.

"Whoa, sorry Stark," she stammered.

"No worries. Hey, have you seen my disaster child yet today?" Tony asked.

Wanda threw her hands up helplessly. "No! That's what I've been trying to figure out all morning. He's just vanished."

Tony scratched his head thoughtfully. "Weird. Normally I have to replace at least two ruined appliances by now thanks to him."

They both stood there mystified by the lack of chaos in Ethan's wake so far today. Before they could ponder further, the elevator doors slid open, and the man himself stepped out.

"Ethan, there you are!" Wanda exclaimed in relief, rushing to hug him. But she pulled back uncertainly when he just casually pecked her check instead of his usual over-eager puppy greeting.

"Morning babe. Morning Dad," Ethan said calmly as he ambled past their confused faces towards the kitchen. That was it. No excitable rambling or wild gesticulating like normal.

Wanda and Tony swapped startled looks before trailing after Ethan in utter bafflement. Their bewilderment only grew as they watched him pour a simple bowl of cereal and sit quietly munching in the kitchen - none of his typical loud slurping or spilled milk!

Soon the other Avengers wandered in, drawn by the odd sight. Their usual boisterous breakfast table was downright serene with an uncharacteristically composed Ethan eating neatly and not attempting to instigate any food fights.

Everyone kept shooting each other baffled glances, like they had all entered the Twilight Zone. Wanda just watched Ethan carefully, waiting for this eerie calm to crack. But he seemed content to enjoy his cereal in silence.

The morning only got weirder from there. Instead of racing off to cause mayhem in Tony's lab, Ethan excused himself politely saying he was going to catch up on some reading. Reading!? Now they knew something was really off.

Wanda decided to test just how deep this personality twist went. "Ethan, darling, I could use your opinion on some fabric swatches for new living room furniture," she said, holding up samples.

"Sure babe, tell me which ones you like best," Ethan replied easily, not even making a face at the boring chore like she expected. Wanda could only nod mutely, not sure how to respond to this pod person version of her boyfriend.

Even during training exercises Ethan was behaving alarmingly normal, listening intently to instructions instead of wandering off or cracking jokes. Steve had to stop mid-sparring session just to gape at him.

By dinner time, the Avengers were losing it. "How is he staying so calm!?" Bruce blurted out incredulously as they watched Ethan neatly slicing vegetables for the salad, no chaotic dicing accidents.

"I keep waiting for him to snap and go full exorcist head-spinning or something," Sam whispered. They were all unnerved.

Wanda hesitantly pulled Ethan aside as he politely offered Tony the first bite of steak at dinner. "Ethan, is everything okay? You seem very...not yourself lately," she asked carefully.

Ethan just smiled earnestly. "I'm fine, don't worry babe." He kissed her forehead before returning to sip his water, leaving Wanda no wiser about this Jekyll and Hyde change.

Later when Scott tried probing Ethan during video game time, he got similarly vague assurances that all was well. No rambling explanations or overexcited yelling at the TV as Scott had hoped to provoke.

By nighttime, the group was considering holding an intervention. They couldn't take Stepford Ethan's perfect behavior anymore! What had he done with their lovable disaster dummy?

Finally, Tony snapped. "Alright, we need answers! What's with the eerily normal routine today? Did Wanda replace you with a robot double?" he demanded, cornering Ethan.

Chuckling, Ethan raised his hands in surrender. "Okay okay, you got me. I was just running a little experiment to see how everyone reacted to me being more, ah, contained," he revealed. "So...surprise!"

"You nearly gave us heart attacks!" Wanda admonished, smacking his shoulder. But she was also laughing in relief at having a logical explanation to cling to.

The team all simultaneously exhaled, the tension breaking. "I will never take your chaotic spirit for granted again," Steve proclaimed dramatically.

"Please go back to causing wanton destruction tomorrow, I'm begging you," Sam pleaded. Ethan just grinned cheekily.

As the laughter died down, Wanda fixed Ethan with a tender look. "I love you however you are," she said earnestly. "But I definitely missed your special brand of madness today."

Ethan's eyes softened. "Duly noted," he replied, pulling Wanda close and kissing her deeply, finally himself again. "I promise to wreak double havoc tomorrow to make up for it!"

Wanda smiled into the kiss, her universe realigning. She wouldn't want a calm, composed Ethan any day. His wild spirit kept her on her toes, but also kept a spark of joy alight that she adored.

As the team dispersed relieved, Ethan called out, "Just think of the fun we could have if I perfected an alter ego persona!"

The resounding "NO!" echoed from every direction instantly. Wanda just chuckled and hugged Ethan tighter. One lovably chaotic dummy was all she - or the Avengers - could handle!