Escaping Maximoff

Would I lie to you?

Wanda and I were woken the next day by the loud buzzing of my phone. Half-dazed and rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I grabbed my phone and answered the call.

"Y/n where the fuck are you?"

Oh shit. I racked my brain for an appropriate reply, but I came up with nothing.

"Hey Sam, what's up?" I deflected, worried by his agitated tone.

"I'm serious, y/n! Your aunt called the house phone this morning to check up on you, you're lucky I'm the one who answered otherwise she'd probably be out looking for you right now," Sam explained, causing me to run a hand through my hair and sit up in bed.

"Look, I'll explain everything to you later. I'll be round in a minute," I said, grabbing my hoodie off the floor before apologetically looking back at Wanda, who was now also very much awake. "Thanks for covering for me."

I heard Sam sigh on the other end. "It's what friends are for." I hung up and jumped back on the bed to give Wanda a hug, savouring her warmth, which would be soon missed. The storm had settled to just a light flurry of snow and a soft breeze that only slightly disturbed the surrounding trees. I could finally go home.

"Thank you," the redhead mumbled into my hair before placing a small kiss on my forehead, rubbing my confused frown away.

"What for?" I asked, my arms hanging loosely around her neck.

"Just for keeping me company," she replied, a shy smile playing across her lips.

"Well, thank you for not turning me into a frog, even when I annoyed you," I joked, beaming up at her when she did her iconic nose scrunch.

She lifted a hand to my cheek, massaging it with her thumb. "You could never annoy me," Wanda whispered, making my smile grow even more.

"Is that a challenge?"

She laughed and pushed me off the bed, getting up as well to grab me one of her own hoodies so I wouldn't freeze to death on my walk to Sam's house.

I let out a deep sigh when we reached the door of Wanda's house, my hand resting on the handle but hesitating to push down. I didn't want to leave the cosy cottage, the routine we had created, or the comfort I had found in the Witch's presence. Most of all, I didn't want to leave Wanda, but I knew I had to.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped out into the breeze. My lungs filled with the fresh air, my face burning with the cold. I turned back to give Wanda a smile which didn't quite reach my eyes. She returned the gesture with a small wave, which I immediately copied.

Wanda Maximoff was the kindest person I had ever met. Walking away from her house, I realised that I had never met anyone who deserved love as much as she did. And in that moment, I decided that I would never let anyone hurt her again.

I was going to have to tell Sam the truth, and as much as I'd want to keep Wanda to myself, once Sam knew about her presence in the Village, then I wouldn't be able to do that anymore.

As soon as I reached my best friend's house, he pulled me inside, practically sprinting up to his bedroom, with me a few inches behind him. The blond pushed me onto his bed, then grabbed his gaming chair and sat opposite me, as if conducting a police interrogation.

"I think you've been watching too much Brooklyn Nine-Nine," I joked, crossing my legs and making myself comfortable among his many pillows. He raised an eyebrow, and I sighed, knowing he wouldn't engage in a proper conversation until I explained what the hell was going on. "This is going to sound insane." I shook my head and rubbed my hands together nervously.

Sam leaned forward to hold them. "I'm sure I've heard worse," he reassured. I offered him a weak smile in return; there was no chance in hell he was prepared for what I was about to tell him.

"I was staying with Wanda Maximoff," I said, ripping the band–aid off without building up to the huge revelation.

Sam didn't say anything, so I continued.

"You remember that day in the store when I kind of freaked out?" The boy nodded slowly but showed no signs of the emotions he was feeling. "Well that's when I saw her for the first time."

"Holy shit," he breathed out, letting go of my hands to run his through his messy hair. I bit my lip in anticipation, waiting for him to actually say something. His face suddenly lit up and he jumped to come sit next to me. "This is the best day of my life," he screamed, shaking my shoulders violently as he quickly rambled out a billion questions. I tried my best to answer them, but most of the things he asked I didn't even know the answer to. It made me question how well I actually knew Maximoff.

"No wonder Zach shit his pants the other day," Sam laughed, a smile broke out on my face when I remembered how terrified the bully had been.

"Yeah, she can be pretty terrifying when she wants to," I admitted, rubbing my neck nervously. I still couldn't believe how well he had taken the news.

"You have to let me meet her," he begged, gripping my arms tightly with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Maybe not for a bit, she doesn't even know I've actually told you. She didn't really want anyone else to know that she's here."

Sam shrugged. "That's understandable, she did kind of take over the last town she was in." I gave him a warning look, and he chuckled softly at my protectiveness. "Don't worry I'm not going to tell anyone."

"I know," I replied. If I was ever sure of anything, it was that I could trust Sam, I just had to convince Wanda that she could as well.

It was getting late, and I didn't want to walk home in the dark, so Mrs Ridley said it was okay for me to stay with them. I settled down in Sam's bed while he lay on a mattress on the floor, and for the first time since my parents left, I finally felt like everything was as it was supposed to be. No more secrets or fear, just me and the people I loved. It felt like nothing could change that.