When two worlds collide

Chapter 12

The next morning, the cabin was bathed in soft, golden light, filtering through the windows and casting warm streaks across the wooden floor. It was peaceful—the kind of serene morning that made Y/N want to stay wrapped in the quiet stillness forever. The fire from last night had burned down to a few glowing embers, and the smell of fresh coffee filled the air as Y/N leaned against the counter, sipping from an old ceramic mug they had found in the cupboard.

Wanda emerged from the bedroom, her hair tousled from sleep, a faint smile on her lips as she glanced around the cabin. "Morning," she greeted, her voice soft and slightly raspy. She looked relaxed in a way Y/N hadn't seen before—like the weight of the world had been lifted, if only for a moment.

"Morning," Y/N replied, offering her a mug of coffee. Wanda took it gratefully, wrapping her hands around the warmth of the cup as she joined Y/N by the counter. They stood there in comfortable silence for a while, the quiet hum of the forest outside lulling them into an almost dreamlike state.

"This place feels unreal," Wanda finally said, her voice low, as if she didn't want to break the spell of the morning. "Like we've stepped out of time."

Y/N nodded, feeling the same way. "Yeah. It's nice, isn't it? Just... quiet. No pressure. No expectations."

Wanda took a sip of her coffee and glanced over at Y/N. "It's easy to forget what that feels like," she admitted, her voice tinged with a note of melancholy.

Y/N nodded, understanding. "It's nice to pretend for a little while, though."

Wanda smiled at that, a small, wistful smile that made Y/N's heart ache a bit. They were sharing something simple here—something normal, something human—and it felt fragile, like it could slip away at any moment. But Y/N wanted to hold on to it for as long as they could.

They spent the rest of the morning together, talking about nothing and everything. Y/N shared more stories about their life as a stunt performer—close calls on set, funny behind-the-scenes mishaps, the rush of pulling off the perfect scene. Wanda listened intently, laughing at Y/N's sarcastic quips and chiming in with her own tales of the Avengers' less-than-glamorous moments.

It was light. It was fun. It was easy.

But as the afternoon crept in, the peaceful bubble they had created began to feel more and more like a dream. And dreams, Y/N knew, didn't last forever.

That night, the mood shifted.

It started with the wind. The peaceful breeze from earlier had turned into a restless howl, rattling the windows of the cabin and shaking the trees outside. The fire in the hearth flickered uneasily, casting long, jagged shadows across the walls. Y/N could feel the tension creeping back into the air, the weight of the real world pressing in on them once again.

Wanda sat by the window, her gaze distant as she stared into the dark forest beyond. Her fingers drummed absently against the arm of the chair, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Y/N noticed the shift in her demeanor immediately. The warmth that had surrounded them earlier in the day was gone, replaced by something colder, darker.

"You alright?" Y/N asked quietly, moving to sit beside her.

Wanda didn't answer right away. She continued staring out the window, her eyes narrowed as if she were searching for something in the shadows. "I've been feeling it all day," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Something's coming. I can sense it."

Y/N's stomach tightened. They had known this peace couldn't last, but hearing Wanda say it out loud made it real. "What do you mean?"

Wanda turned to face them, her expression tense. "The doppelgänger. It's getting closer. I don't know how or when, but... I can feel its presence. Like it's hunting us."

The juxtaposition of the calm morning and the looming danger of the night sent a shiver down Y/N's spine. The safety of the cabin suddenly felt like a thin veneer, ready to crack under the weight of whatever threat was coming their way.

Y/N took a deep breath, trying to steady themselves. "We knew this was coming," they said, their voice steady despite the anxiety building in their chest. "We'll deal with it. Together."

Wanda looked at them, her eyes searching Y/N's face for reassurance. "You're not afraid?"

Y/N forced a grin. "I'm terrified. But I'm not going to let that stop me."

Wanda's lips curved into a small, grateful smile, but the tension didn't leave her eyes. "I don't want to lose this," she admitted, her voice barely audible. "I don't want to lose... us."

Y/N's heart skipped a beat. They hadn't expected Wanda to be so open, so vulnerable. They reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "You won't," they promised. "We'll figure this out. We're not going to let some doppelgänger or cosmic threat take that away."

Wanda looked down at their intertwined hands, a small sigh escaping her lips. "It's just... I'm so used to things slipping away. The second I start to feel comfortable, something always happens."

Y/N shifted closer, their voice softer. "Maybe this time it'll be different."

But even as they said it, they couldn't help but feel the same gnawing uncertainty creeping into their own mind. The peaceful day they had shared felt like it had been stolen, borrowed time in a world that wasn't made for peace.

Outside, the wind howled louder, shaking the trees with a force that made the cabin creak. The shadows on the walls seemed to stretch and twist, as if the darkness itself was closing in on them.

Y/N's grip on Wanda's hand tightened. They had promised her they wouldn't let this slip away. But as the storm outside grew stronger, and the sense of impending danger loomed closer, Y/N couldn't shake the feeling that they were running out of time.

The light of the day had been a brief reprieve, a small bubble of warmth in an otherwise cold and chaotic world. Now, they were back in the shadows—waiting, watching, bracing for the fight that they knew was coming.

And as much as Y/N wanted to believe their own words, they couldn't help but wonder if this time, the darkness might win.