Monsters (Wanda Maximoff x male Superman reader)

Chapter Thirty-One: Don't Count On It

One year has passed since the departure of Superman.

Since the Avengers' Civil War, a new group has risen from the ashes of the Avengers: the Justice League. Their ranks consist of Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, Vision, Wanda Maximoff, Diana Prince, and Bruce Wayne. But Bruce knew that an attack would come if Superman departed, so he began a search for more super-powered beings; the ones he found in Stark's files. After all this time, he had finally gotten a lead on one of these beings: the Aquaman.

He was in a small town, locked between the sea and the mountains that he spent weeks crossing. The townsfolk were nice enough, and had allowed him to have an audience with the town's leadership. He spoke no English, but there was a translator present.

"Bruce... Wayne," The town's leader said as Bruce handed him his business card. He looked at Bruce, studying every feature he could under the beard Bruce had grown while crossing.

"There is a man," Bruce explained himself. "He comes from the sea every few weeks. He brings fish, for the townspeople."

"No boat has come here in months," The translator said. He was a muscular man, only slightly shorter than Bruce. He had long, flowing hair, and deep, piercing blue eyes.

"This man doesn't come here by ship."

The translator relayed this information, and they both seemed surprised that this outsider knew of the man from the sea.

"I will give you twenty-five thousand dollars to speak to this man now."

The town's leader laughed hysterically at this, as did most of the other people who were present.

"You think we are stupid?" the leader asked Bruce, in heavily accented English. "We are poor, not stupid."

"Get out," The translator said to him. "Now."

"I don't think so."

The translator grabbed Bruce by the collar of his coat and slammed him against the wall, holding him there threateningly. Bruce reached into his pocket and pulled out a massive pack of dollar bills - twenty-five thousand dollars, to be exact. He dropped them on the ground and some little kids came by to grab them all up.

The translator let Bruce down.

"So you're Arthur Curry... the Aquaman."

-----

"So you dress up... like a bat?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Bruce had been trying to convince Arthur to join the team as he went to return to the sea.

"Will you join us?"

"Don't count on it, Batman."

Arthur lifted his sweater up over his head, revealing his heavily tattooed muscles, throwing the sweater on a nearby rock as he began to wade out into the water.

"A strong man is strongest alone," Arthur quoted. "You ever hear that?"

"Did you ever hear of Superman?" Arthur turned to look at Bruce when he said this. "He lived fighting by my side. We believed we were stronger together."

"And where is he now?"

Bruce had no answer to this.

"You're out of you mind, Bruce Wayne!"

With that statement of finality, Arthur descended into the ocean. The women of the town sang one of their songs as he did, honoring his departure as though he were some sort of deity.

There was no point in trying to go after him.

-----

Bruce's helicopter landed right next to where his private jet was. This jet would take him back to Gotham, where he would search for the other two metahumans. His butler, Alfred, emerged from inside the jet.

"I hope your vacation was well spent, Master Wayne!" Alfred yelled over the sound of the helicopter.

"I found him, Alfred! The Aquaman!"

Alfred looked around, expecting to see him.

"He said no!"

They boarded the plane in silence.

-----

Back in Gotham City, more specifically inside Wayne Manor, Wanda Maximoff had made herself two cups of coffee, as she did almost every morning. She would take one herself and leave the other on the kitchen counter, for (Y/N), if he returned that same day. Most of the team members respected what she was doing to honor him while he was gone, however, Vision didn't really understand it. 

"Why two?" He had asked her.

"One is for me and the other is for (Y/N)."

"But he is not here."

"If he comes back, it will be waiting for him."

"How do you know when he will return?"

At this Wanda had just sighed and went back to her room. Luckily, Wayne Manor was big enough to have guest rooms for all of the team members, (Y/N) included. Wanda and the others had left his room untouched.

During her time at Wayne Manor, Wanda had developed a friendship with Diana Prince. She had lost someone in her life a long time ago, and helped Wanda see her feelings about (Y/N)'s departure. She was afraid he might never come back, sad that he had been gone so long, angry that he just left without her. But above all she still loved him, even after a year.

"Hello, Wanda," Diana said as she entered.

"Hey, Diana."

"And how are you today?"

"The same."

"He will be back, Wanda. Have hope," Diana said tracing (Y/N)'s symbol on Wanda's mattress.

Bruce arrived back a few hours later, having shaved his beard on the plane. He and Diana went to his work station, continuing their search for the missing metahumans. Little did they know, (Y/N) was caught up in a situation like this himself.