Escaping Maximoff

She

"So, you're y/n's girlfriend."

My brain short-circuited for a second before I shot my grinning cousin a deadly look – a silent promise of his later demise.

"What if I am?" Victoria retorted, the fire in her eyes burning with the same intensity as mine. I blushed at the sudden protectiveness of the girl, her hard exterior making her somehow even more alluring.

Ryan lifted his hands in the air, feigning surrender. He knew not to get on the brunette's bad side. Unfortunately, his brother didn't share the same level of intelligence.

"Then y/n would be punching," Tristan replied, laughing at my offended expression.

"I'll punch you in a minute," I grumbled, taking Victoria's hand and pushing past my cousins to reach the safety of my bedroom, the only sanctuary in the entire house. After opening the door, I gestured for the brunette to enter first,
closing it behind us once we were safely inside, shutting out the rest of the world. I took a deep breath, leaning against the cool wood for support. The twins could be a lot sometimes.

"Your cousins are–"

"Annoying, I know," I sighed, finishing Victoria's sentence as I watched her take a few steps towards me.

"I was going to say incredibly observant," she responded, stopping right in front of me.

"Huh?"

She laughed at my furrowed forehead. "Not about the punching part."

I was about to question her vague replies when she leaned forward, a breath catching in my throat. My heart beat impossibly fast, battering my rib cage as the intoxicating scent of her floral perfume captured my thoughts.

"Is this one of your paintings?" She asked, her warm breath tickling my ear as she gazed at the paper I was standing in front of. I blinked rapidly, snapping out of the trance.

I stepped away from the wall and glued my eyes to the artwork instead of the tall, stunning brunette next to me. "Y–yes, I made it a while ago though."

"It's beautiful," she mused, her pink lip trapped between her teeth as the dark, grey storm of her eyes came to meet mine.

I shrugged. "I've made better."

"Show me!" She said excitedly, her face glowing with jubilance.

I nodded, quickly grabbing the sketchbook from under my bed before coming to sit next to her on the forest green duvet. Offering the book to her, I crossed my legs, shifting closer to Victoria until our skin lightly brushed against each other. Her long, velvet locks cascaded over her face as she tentatively turned the pages, treating my work with careful attention.

"These are amazing," she whispered, flipping to the next page and letting out a soft gasp when she saw what it was.

Oh shit.

How could I have been so stupid? I had completely forgotten about the sketch from a few weeks ago, capturing the exact essence of the grey eyes that occupied my dreams on paper – the very eyes that now gazed curiously into mine.

"You weren't meant to see that," I said quietly, staring down at my knotted hands in my lap. She reached for one of them and gently tugged on it so I would look at her, her fingers rubbing softly on my skin.

"I'm glad I did," she whispered, a light smile gracing her lips. I let out a short huff of relief, thanking Thor that Victoria wasn't weirded out by the picture I drew of her. I really liked her, and I didn't want to lose our friendship.

"I draw all of my friends," I explained with a shrug, enjoying the way her smile faltered.

"Oh."

I squeezed her hand, a mischievous glint in my eyes. "I'm kidding."

Her smile returned, but she didn't hesitate to whack my arm.

"Bitch." Her nose scrunched adorably and I almost died on the spot, a rush of affection heating my body.

"Sorry."

"No you're not," she laughed. "You don't regret a thing!"

I shook my head. "That's not entirely true." I said, noticing her raise an eyebrow at my sudden serious expression.

If there was one thing Wanda Maximoff had taught me, it's that we don't live for forever. The only certainty we have is the present. And I didn't want to wait another day to show Victoria how I felt.

I lifted a hand to cup the side of her face, my thumb brushing lightly over her cheek. "I regret not doing this sooner," I confessed, my heart beating loudly as she leaned closer, her lips ghosting mine before I finally closed the distance. I'd kissed a few people before, but none of them compared to Victoria Steinfeld. Our lips molded perfectly together in a soft but passionate kiss as her hand moved to the back of my neck, pulling me impossibly closer, as if she never wanted the moment to end. Time seemed to stand still, suspended in the warmth of our touch, each fleeting second etching itself into my memory until she pulled away. She gently took my face in her hands and placed a quick peck on my smiling lips, a similar grin etched on hers. My chest exploded into a million butterflies, the tenderness of her care sending me into the stratosphere.

"I've been waiting for your dumbass to do that for far too long."