The Witch's Shadow (Wanda Maximoff x Girl)

Twenty

"I think we actually used up all the hot water," Wanda yells from the bathroom several hours later.

"Well we did leave it running for a while," I yell back as I snuggle deeper into Wanda's bed.

Despite how amazing the last few hours have been, a feeling of dread slowly engulfs me the longer that I'm here. I knew that Wanda would never demand that I stay with her, no matter how much she or I want me to, but the longer I stay the harder it will be to leave.

Almost as if she could hear my thoughts, which was a possibility, she comes out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and using another to dry her hair. "You'd think you'd have a happier expression on your face after what we just did," she jokes, trying to lighten the mood. "Unless," she adds, suddenly unsure. "It wasn't.. good?"

I'm at her side in a blink, my lips on hers, "you were perfect." I whisper against her lips, "you are perfect."

"I didn't really do much," she whispers with a slight grin. "But I'm willing to work on that."

I chuckle as her body towel drops to the floor, her bare skin warm against mine, "if I recall correctly, you did many things." For someone who had never had sex before, her imagination and enthusiasm had seemed to be endless. "And as much as I would love to stay here with you, doing everything that your wonderful mind can think of," I start as I reluctantly step back.

"You have to go," she finishes for me.

I nod, "unfortunately, yeah."

"Will you come back?"

"I want to," I answer, avoiding the actual question.

"But will you?" She asks again.

"I don't know," I say softly. "I didn't even mean to come this time."

She picks up her towel and walks to the bed, "then you better dream about me every night so that you wake up with me." She tosses the towel onto the bed, "you should shower. Wouldn't want you going back to Natasha smelling like sex."

I raise my arm to my nose and take a deep dramatic breath, "but I like smelling of sex. I like how you smell on me. And how you sound. And how you taste."

Her cheeks flush as she smiles, "but do you want Natasha and Yelena to tease you about it all day?"

"You have a point," I concede. "Cold shower here I come."

And while it was the coldest fastest shower of my life, I still had time to think about Wanda's question. Would I come back? I wanted to. I wanted to be with Wanda, to fall asleep with her, to wake up with her, and everything in between.

But I couldn't, not while I was technically on the run. Not unless..

Unless Wanda came with me.

But I couldn't ask that of her. I couldn't ask her to leave her life and go on the run with me and fight for a cause she knew nothing about.

Not unless I showed her everything and let her make up her own mind. Which is something I should have done weeks ago.

I sigh and get out of the shower, changing back into the clothes I'd arrived in and walking out of the bathroom. "I need to-."

"I'm going with you," she tells me, cutting me off. "I've already packed." She points to a backpack on the floor by the door, "so don't try and argue."

"I wasn't going to," I admit. "But.. you need to know what it is that you're getting yourself into. Why we are doing this." I take a deep breath, "I need you to look in my head, past the walls and see everything."

"Ray, no."

"Yes," I argue. "I need you to know everything and it would take too long to tell you." I walk over to her, "I give you permission to read my mind, to see my memories. All of them."

"I could hurt you," she tells me.

"You won't. I trust you, Wanda," I tell her firmly.

She breathes deeply and ever so slowly, her powers reach out for me. Mine, as if on instinct, reach out for her. We watch as black and red swirl together, mixing in a dance that neither of us knew or controlled.

"I.. can feel you," Wanda says slowly. "All of you."

"I can feel you too," I gasp out as I suddenly could feel everything that Wanda was feeling. "Is this what it's like for you all the time?" I felt as if my heart was going to explode, like every nerve I had was on fire, and like I was going to puke all at the same time.

And that's just what I was feeling.

Wanda's emotions were more subtle, gently washing over me and making a warm blanket that soothed all of my emotions. "You get used to it," she says softly. "Learn to block it out. Well," she amends. "Most of it. Some people have very loud thoughts. Like yours right now."

"And what am I thinking?" I ask, matching the softness of her voice as I pour all of my love, longing and adoration into a single feeling.

I must have succeeded because she smiles, "that you love me."

"I do," I confirm. "More than you know." I sigh, "but after what you see, I'll understand if you don't feel the same anymore."

She doesn't say anything as my thoughts turn inward, towards the darkness that I try to keep hidden and locked away.

Her eyes close and my arms tighten around her as my entire life floods into her mind. I don't hide anything from her. I don't even think I could if I tried, not when we were connected like this.

I can feel her horror, her anger, her disgust and her fury as she watches the horror movie that is my life. But I can also feel her love. Her unwavering love for me. It's like a lifeline through the entire process, keeping us both from getting lost in the memories.

Her hands tighten on my shirt when she finally sees what I've been hiding so fiercely, and I swear that I can feel her heart breaking as she watches them rip my daughter from my arms. I feel her anger and more surprisingly, her murderous rage when Dreykov slips through my fingers.

And while I hate that she can feel everything I felt in those moments, I thoroughly enjoy when she sees herself through my eyes for the first time. Her lips twitch in a reluctant smile as my first thoughts of her rush her mind, as she watches me slowly fall for her, until finally, she opens her eyes and our powers fade away, leaving us in a bright room gazing at each other.

Her hands move up to my face, caressing my cheeks as she says almost dangerously, "let's go kill that fucker."