Between Lies and Love

Chapter 11

The evening started off like any other. Y/N and Lizzy were at home, comfortable in the routine of their life together. They were in the middle of preparing dinner when Lizzy, with a casual smile, asked, "Hey, can you grab that box from the closet for me? The one with the old photo albums? I got some new photo's printed today."

Y/N, busy stirring a pot on the stove, nodded absentmindedly. "Sure, which one?"

"The small brown one, second shelf on the left," Lizzy replied, already turning her attention back to chopping vegetables. Her tone was so nonchalant, so routine, that Y/N barely gave it a second thought.

Walking to the closet, Y/N opened the door and scanned the shelves. Lizzy always kept things pretty organized, but there were a couple of boxes stacked together on the shelf she mentioned. The light wasn't great, and in their rush, Y/N grabbed the first brown box they saw and headed back to the kitchen.

"Got it!" Y/N called, setting the box on the counter.

Lizzy turned, glancing at the box. Her face paled instantly. "That's... not the one."

Before Y/N could process the sudden change in Lizzy's tone, they noticed her panic-stricken expression. It was like the air in the room thickened. "Oh, sorry," Y/N said, beginning to reach for the box to return it. "I'll grab the other—"

"No, wait!" Lizzy's voice was sharp, her hand shooting out to stop Y/N from opening it, but it was too late.

Y/N had already undone the latch on the old, worn box, curious as to what had made Lizzy so anxious. Inside, nestled under some faded papers, was a small, distinct object—a lanyard with a familiar logo. *S.W.O.R.D.*

For a moment, Y/N didn't understand. They reached into the box, moving the papers aside, and that's when they saw it—a badge, with a photo of Lizzy's face but a different name. **Wanda Maximoff.**

Everything slowed down. The badge, the name, the logo—it didn't make sense. Or maybe it made too much sense. Y/N's mind raced, trying to fit together pieces of a puzzle they didn't even know existed.

"Lizzy," Y/N started, their voice barely above a whisper. "What is this?"

Lizzy—or Wanda—froze. Her eyes were wide, her face pale, as if the ground had been pulled out from beneath her. "I can explain."

Y/N held the badge up, their hand trembling. "Wanda Maximoff? Who is this? Who *are* you?"

Wanda's eyes darted between Y/N and the box. She opened her mouth, trying to find the words, but everything felt so heavy, so impossible. "I didn't want you to find out like this. Please, Y/N, just... give me a chance to explain."

Y/N's heart was racing, the weight of the discovery pressing down on them. "Explain? You've been lying to me this entire time! Your name isn't even Lizzy! I've been living with a complete stranger."

Wanda stepped closer, her hands trembling. "No, no, you haven't. It's me. I'm still the same person you've known. I just... I couldn't tell you."

Y/N felt a wave of anger rise, hot and fast. The air in the room began to heat up, reflecting the emotions churning inside them. "Couldn't tell me? We've been together for *years*, Wanda. Years! What else have you been hiding from me?"

"I was trying to protect you!" Wanda's voice cracked, her emotions on the edge. "If you knew the truth—if you knew who I was—your life could be in danger. I couldn't risk that."

Y/N's mind was spinning. Protect them? From what? From her? From her past? The heat in the room intensified as their anger flared, a suffocating pressure filling the space between them. "So you lied to me. Every single day."

Wanda swallowed, her throat tight with guilt. "I had to. I couldn't let my past catch up with us. With you."

"And you think lying to me was the way to protect us?" Y/N's voice was shaking now, frustration and hurt bleeding into their words. "You didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth. You made me believe in something that wasn't real."

"It *was* real!" Wanda stepped forward, her eyes pleading. "Everything we've had, everything between us, it's real. The only thing I kept from you was my name, my past."

Y/N shook their head, their voice dropping to a whisper. "That's not everything, Wanda. That's who you are."

The room was becoming unbearably hot now, the air thick and stifling as Y/N's powers reacted to their spiraling emotions. Wanda could feel the shift, her own fear and regret making the moment feel even more intense.

"I was going to tell you," Wanda whispered, her voice barely audible now. "I just... I was afraid. I didn't want to lose you."

Y/N's breath caught, their anger slipping away as a cold wave of sadness washed over them, dropping the temperature in the room drastically. "You already lost me, Wanda. The second you decided to lie to me for all these years."

Tears brimmed in Wanda's eyes as she took another step closer, the cold air biting at her skin. "Please, Y/N, I love you. I never wanted to hurt you."

Y/N turned away, their heart breaking, their voice barely holding together. "I need time. I need to figure out what all of this means."

Wanda's heart shattered at those words, her tears falling freely now. "Take all the time you need," she whispered. "I'll wait. I'll be here, waiting for you."

Y/N didn't respond, the betrayal too deep, too raw. They simply walked out of the room, the box and the badge forgotten on the counter. The door closing behind them felt final, like a chapter of their life had slammed shut.

Wanda stood in the empty room, the weight of her secret finally crashing down on her. She had wanted to protect Y/N from the chaos of her past, but in doing so, she had torn apart the one thing she had fought so hard to hold on to—Y/N's trust.