When two worlds collide

Chapter 25

The safe house was filled with a thick, unsettling silence. The kind of silence that suffocates, weighing heavily on both Y/N and Wanda. The light of the late afternoon sun barely made its way through the drawn curtains, casting the living room in a dim, almost claustrophobic light. Y/N sat in the middle of the room, staring at nothing in particular. Her thoughts churned like a storm, loud and overwhelming, but she remained outwardly still.

Wanda paced back and forth near the window, her frustration barely contained. She had already tried speaking to Y/N several times, but each time she had been met with silence. It wasn't like Y/N to withdraw like this, and it gnawed at Wanda's nerves. She ran a hand through her hair, sighing deeply before stopping in her tracks.

"I can't let you do it," Wanda finally said, her voice strained. "I can't let you go through with the second plan, Y/N. I won't."

Y/N didn't respond right away. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, knuckles white from the pressure. She had been sitting like that for what felt like hours, the weight of Strange's two plans pressing on her mind like a lead weight. Her body ached with exhaustion, not from physical exertion, but from the sheer mental strain of contemplating the impossible choice laid before her.

Wanda exhaled sharply, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "Did you hear me?" she asked, her tone a little sharper than she intended. "I said I won't let you do this. Sacrificing yourself—it's not an option."

Y/N blinked slowly, her gaze still fixed on a distant point in the room. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was quiet and flat. "You think I want to do this? You think this is easy for me?"

Wanda's breath hitched at the unexpected vulnerability in Y/N's voice. She swallowed hard, her frustration momentarily ebbing. "I know it's not easy," she said softly, stepping closer to Y/N. "But there has to be another way. We've been through too much to end it like this."

Y/N let out a slow, heavy breath, still not looking up. "Wanda, I've been sitting here for hours, thinking about every possible way this could go. And no matter how I twist it, no matter what I try to imagine... it always leads back to the same place." Her voice trembled slightly as she continued. "I don't see a way out of this where someone doesn't get hurt. If it's not me, it'll be you. Or Strange. Or—" She trailed off, her hands gripping each other tighter.

Wanda's eyes flashed with emotion, her frustration returning, this time mixed with desperation. She dropped to her knees in front of Y/N, reaching out to take her hands. "You're not doing this alone," Wanda said, her voice fierce but trembling with emotion. "I won't let you make this decision by yourself. You can't just decide that you're going to throw your life away for the universe like it's some noble sacrifice."

Y/N finally looked down at her, her eyes tired and filled with conflict. "Wanda, I'm not trying to be noble. I'm just trying to stop this before it destroys everything and everyone we care about." Her voice cracked, her facade breaking. "Don't you think I'm scared? Don't you think I don't want to die? But if this is what it takes to save you, to save everyone, then—"

"No," Wanda interrupted, her voice raw. "No, you don't get to make that choice. You don't get to decide that your life is worth less than mine. Or Strange's. Or anyone else's. You are worth saving too, Y/N. Don't you understand that?"

Y/N's heart twisted painfully in her chest. She wanted to say something, anything to reassure Wanda, but the words wouldn't come. Her mind kept circling back to the same inescapable conclusion: someone had to end this. And if it meant her life... then maybe that was the price she had to pay.

Wanda stood up, tears welling in her eyes as she fought to hold herself together. "You can't leave me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Not like this. Not after everything we've been through. I can't watch you sacrifice yourself for something that—" She cut herself off, her voice choking with emotion. "I need you, Y/N. Not just for the fight, not just for the plan. I need *you*. I can't lose you."

The raw emotion in Wanda's voice broke something inside Y/N. She closed her eyes tightly, fighting back tears of her own. For all the battles they had fought together, for all the strength they had shown, this was the hardest moment of all. Knowing that no matter what, someone was going to lose.

"Wanda," Y/N said softly, finally looking up into her tear-filled eyes. "I wish there was another way. I wish I could promise you that we'll get out of this unscathed, but... I can't. You know I can't."

Wanda shook her head, refusing to accept it. "No. I won't let you die for this. We started this fight together, and we'll end it together. We'll find another way—there has to be another way."

Y/N bit her lip, her eyes searching Wanda's for some kind of answer. But the fear and desperation there only mirrored her own. "I don't want to leave you," Y/N whispered, her voice breaking. "I don't want this to be the end, Wanda. But if it comes down to it, if it's me or the universe—"

"I don't care about the universe," Wanda shot back, her frustration spilling over again. "I care about you. I care about us. And I won't let you make this choice on your own."

Y/N looked down, her heart heavy. She couldn't stand the thought of leaving Wanda behind, of abandoning the bond they had built in such a short time. But the reality of the situation was suffocating her.

"Then tell me what to do," Y/N whispered, her voice shaking. "Tell me how to stop this without losing you."

Wanda knelt in front of Y/N again, her hands reaching up to cup Y/N's face gently. Her tears fell freely now, but she didn't let them stop her from speaking. "We'll figure it out together," she said, her voice soft but filled with determination. "You don't have to carry this weight alone. You're not alone, Y/N."

The vulnerability in Wanda's eyes, the raw plea for them to stay together, finally broke through the wall Y/N had been building inside herself. She let out a shaky breath and leaned into Wanda's touch, her tears finally spilling over.

"I'm so scared, Wanda," Y/N admitted, her voice barely audible. "I'm so scared of losing you."

Wanda pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her as if she could shield her from all the pain and fear. "I'm scared too," she whispered into Y/N's hair. "But we'll face it together. We've come this far, and we're not giving up now. We'll find another way. We have to."

They stayed like that for a long time, wrapped in each other's arms, their shared fears and love intertwining in the quiet of the room. The weight of the world still pressed down on them, but for now, they had each other. And in that moment, it was enough.