"It truly is incredible."
You watched as she took in her stilled surroundings with a new appreciation. It was as if before when the world would suddenly stop, she was confused or frightened by it, but now, as she glanced around knowing the source, she found it to be peaceful...beautiful even. She knew you were watching her; she could feel your eyes on her as she turned to glance around, but it only made her smile and hope that you trusted her like she had already grown to trust you in such a short amount of time.
"Yeah?"
You asked it so quietly, playing with the ends of your sleeves anxiously, and realizing you never really stood back to enjoy it before, always having had a plan in place for when you stopped everything, or maybe it was that you never got to share it with someone else.
She smiled softly, nodding to answer your question, and you peered down at the ground for a moment, trying to fight your own smile.
It was different, and a bit scary, to have someone see everything you could do in the moment, but you'd never admit that to anyone out loud.
"And we're the only two people in the world who are...how did you put it..." She thought for a moment with furrowed eyebrows before they relaxed, a smile coming across her face when she remembered, "Awake?"
"For years I thought it was just me," You admitted with a chuckle and she smiled over at you, "So, I'd like to say yes, but I really don't know."
"And when did you first use this?" She asked, gesturing around, and trying to stick to the training aspect of why you were both here.
"I think I was about...seven."
"What happened that set it off?" She asked carefully, knowing it could be sensitive like the first time you took a peek into the future clearly was.
"Does it matter?" You asked back, no bite to your words, just honestly wondering if you had to rehash another painful memory, and then you cleared your throat, peering down at the grass, "I used it, but it didn't take a certain word, I just use those now to um, get in the same mindset, but I couldn't control it properly until after my mom died."
There was a heat climbing up your chest and attaching itself to your throat, making you uncomfortable and agitated. You hated this so much, thinking back to such a terrible time when all you wanted to do was-
"I'm sorry about your mom," Her words broke through the pressure on your heart and your eyes snapped to hers, hearing those words for the first time being so genuine and not just something someone says because there's nothing else, "I lost my parents when I was younger and it's a hurt that never truly goes away," She smiled sadly, "But we carry them with us."
"That's terrible, Wanda, I'm sorry," Your voice cracked a bit, and she nodded solemnly before you couldn't help but to bitterly add, "They say time heals all, but that's been proven wrong again and again, hasn't it?"
She narrowed her eyes at you curiously, picking up on something you didn't even know you had let slip.
You flicked the world back into motion soon after that with the simple word and the two of you walked back to the tower, calling it a day.
You skipped dinner to have a rerun marathon of one of your favorite comfort shows in the room they gave you while you stuck around for a bit longer just until they cleared your name from the file and finished up some more work on everything Thanos. It was a lot all at once for them and they just wanted you close for a little while longer, aside from the training you'd be doing, in case they needed you, but you were going home the next day, finally being released from this huge prison.
You didn't mind it all that much if you were honest, the people were somewhat friendly, and it wasn't as quiet as your townhouse or nearly as lonely as it could sometimes get. But you did miss sleeping in your own bed and eating your own food, so you were itching a tiny bit to get back.
It was around midnight when you found yourself wandering down the hallway and up a couple of flights to a certain floor.
You knocked softly on the door and waited patiently, hoping she was still up. A moment later,
it opened and you saw a sleepy-eyed Wanda with mussed up hair in her plaid pajama set, rubbing at her face to wipe the sleep away with the end of her sleeve. The whole sight had you smiling like a goof and then you realized she was waiting for an explanation as to why you were standing at her door in the middle of the night. But the words died on the tip of your tongue and she took your hand gently before guiding you inside, shutting the door behind you both.
"Couldn't sleep?" She guessed, her hand still in yours as the two of you stood in the middle of the room, facing each other.
"Yeah, um," You tried to wrack your brain for a good excuse, but honestly, you just wanted to see her, and you mumbled a quiet, "This is embarrassing."
"Not at all," She assured, and you looked up at her, scratching the back of your neck with your free hand, and cringing with an embarrassed smile, "I'm glad you came by," She looked at you with soft eyes, "Do you want to watch a movie until you fall asleep?"
"Yes," You sighed in relief, but then hesitated when she let your hand go to move the blanket so you could crawl in next to her and then she reached for the remote on her nightstand, "...Oh, in here?"
"Where else?" She asked back, lightly teasing, and you shrugged before rounding the bed to slowly climb in, nerves spreading under your skin.
You stayed on your side, but she kept her eyes on the TV as she browsed through Netflix, throwing her arm around your shoulders when she leaned close enough. You scooted over towards her, so it was easier for you both, and then slowly snuggled into her side when she landed on a movie you didn't expect her to pick.
"This good?" She asked, but you didn't know if she was referring to the movie or how her fingers were now softly carding through your hair, landing on your back and starting to rub light circles.
"Yeah," You found yourself whispering, feeling her smile even though you couldn't see it, and then she played the movie, adding quietly to yourself, "Yeah, this is good."
You tried to stay awake, fighting consciousness with all you had, but she ran her fingertips over your back so light and she felt so warm and safe, that your tired, heavy eyes got the better of you only about fifteen minutes into It's a Wonderful Life.
