When two worlds collide

Chapter 16

The quiet hum of the car engine was the only sound that filled the air as Y/N and Wanda drove back toward the temporary safe house Doctor Strange had set up for them. The sky was a deep purple, fading into twilight, and the road stretched out like a ribbon of calm after the storm. But the tension between them was palpable.

Y/N stared out the window, watching the landscape blur past in a haze of greens and grays. Their mind was racing, replaying the events in the clearing over and over again. The feeling of being trapped in those magical chains, watching their doppelgänger move freely in their skin—it had been unnerving, to say the least.

Worse, it had almost worked.

"You've been awfully quiet," Wanda said softly, her voice cutting through the silence. She glanced over at Y/N from the driver's seat, her expression a mix of concern and curiosity. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Y/N blinked, pulled from their thoughts by Wanda's question. They turned to face her, forcing a small smile, but it didn't reach their eyes. "Just... thinking," they said with a half-hearted shrug.

Wanda raised an eyebrow. "You're not usually this broody," she teased gently. "Want to talk about it?"

Y/N hesitated, unsure of how to even begin explaining the storm of emotions churning inside them. They didn't want to burden Wanda with their fears, especially after everything they had been through. But there was something in the way Wanda was looking at them—patient, understanding—that made it hard to keep it all bottled up.

"I... I don't know," Y/N admitted, rubbing the back of their neck. "That was intense. More intense than I expected."

Wanda hummed in agreement, keeping her eyes on the road. "It was close," she said quietly. "Too close."

Y/N let out a heavy sigh, their fingers drumming nervously on their knee. "You ever have one of those moments where everything feels like it's spinning out of control?" they asked, their voice tinged with frustration. "Like no matter what you do, someone else is pulling the strings?"

Wanda glanced over at them, her expression softening. "More times than I can count," she said honestly. "It's terrifying. Feeling powerless... like your life isn't your own."

Y/N nodded, staring down at their hands. "That doppelgänger—it was inside my head, Wanda," they said quietly, their voice trembling slightly. "It knew things about me, things I never thought I'd share with anyone. It was like... facing all the worst parts of myself, twisted and amplified."

Wanda's grip tightened on the steering wheel, and her heart ached at the vulnerability in Y/N's voice. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I can't imagine what that must have felt like."

Y/N shook their head. "It's not your fault," they said quickly, not wanting Wanda to carry any of the blame. "I just... I don't know how to shake this feeling. Like I'm not really myself anymore. Like that thing took a piece of me with it."

There was a long pause as Wanda considered Y/N's words. She knew what it was like to feel fractured, to have parts of yourself stripped away by forces beyond your control. She had lived through that more times than she cared to admit.

"Listen," Wanda said gently, pulling the car to a stop at the side of the road. She turned to face Y/N, her green eyes filled with empathy and understanding. "You are more than whatever that doppelgänger showed you. It's not you. It's just a shadow—a reflection of your fears, maybe—but it's not the real you."

Y/N stared at her, their throat tightening as they tried to hold back the surge of emotion. "What if it's right, though?" they whispered. "What if the worst parts of me are just waiting to take over?"

Wanda reached out, her hand resting on Y/N's. Her touch was warm, grounding, and it steadied the chaos inside Y/N's mind. "I've seen the worst parts of myself too," she said softly. "And I know how scary it is to think that those parts define you. But they don't. You've shown me so much more than that."

Y/N looked at her, their heart beating faster. "How can you be so sure?" they asked, their voice barely above a whisper.

"Because I know you," Wanda replied with a gentle smile. "The real you. The one who's brave and funny and sarcastic and always ready to jump into danger if it means protecting the people you care about. That's who you are, Y/N. Not some twisted version of yourself."

Y/N felt a lump form in their throat, and for a moment, they couldn't speak. Wanda's words cut through the doubt and fear that had been weighing on them since the encounter with their doppelgänger. She saw them—them, not the reflection in the mirror.

"Thank you," Y/N said softly, their voice thick with emotion. "I needed to hear that."

Wanda smiled, giving their hand a reassuring squeeze. "Anytime."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, the tension that had been hanging between them slowly dissolving. Y/N felt a sense of calm begin to settle over them, though the weight of the encounter still lingered in the back of their mind. It wasn't something they could just brush off, but with Wanda by their side, it felt more manageable.

"Hey," Y/N said after a while, their tone lighter now. "You know what would really help me feel better?"

Wanda raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on her lips. "What's that?"

Y/N leaned back in their seat, folding their arms behind their head with a playful grin. "Food," they declared. "I'm starving. I think I deserve some greasy burgers after that whole ordeal."

Wanda laughed, shaking her head. "You and your food obsessions," she teased. "Alright, greasy burgers it is. But you're paying."

"Deal," Y/N said with a wink. "I've got just the place in mind too. Best fries you've ever had."

As they started the car back up and headed toward the small diner Y/N had mentioned, the tension between them finally eased. It wasn't that the danger had passed—they both knew the doppelgänger was still out there, lurking in the shadows—but for now, they had found a moment of peace.

And that was enough.

As they pulled up to the diner, Y/N couldn't help but glance at Wanda out of the corner of their eye. They were still shaken, still processing everything that had happened, but in this moment, they felt something else too. Something warm, something comforting. They were beginning to realize that Wanda had become more than just an ally in this fight. She was someone they could rely on, someone who had seen them at their most vulnerable and hadn't turned away.

Wanda caught Y/N's gaze and smiled. "Ready for those burgers?" she asked playfully, breaking the tension that had momentarily returned.

Y/N grinned, their earlier confidence returning. "Always."

As they entered the diner, the world outside seemed a little less daunting. They didn't know what would happen next, but for the first time in a long while, Y/N felt like they weren't facing it alone.