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You first met her at the summer camp your mother basically forced you to go to when you were fourteen. Hauling your duffel bag and backpack on your shoulder filled to the brim with your clothes and books, you watch longingly as her car drives away, wishing that you’re at your room reading books instead at the safety of those four corners of that room.
“Don’t be so grumpy, Y/N. We’d have the best summer ever here.” Your cousin, who’s the same age as you, squeezes your shoulder and pulls you towards the registration area when she sees your sour expression.
You love your cousin, really. She’s your favorite cousin, but right now, you wish nothing but to strangle her for putting the idea of summer camp in your parents’ heads. Now you’re stuck with other teenagers for the rest of the summer, with no parents in sight—god knows what monstrosity is waiting to happen.
Sighing, you let your cousin pull you towards the line, bumping into someone on the way. You look up to see a girl who’s a bit taller than you, her emerald green eyes glaring to see the culprit pushing her, but soften when she sees you.
“Sorry”
“Sorry”
You both say at the same time, and you think nothing of it, looking back to the lady at the registration table as she asks for your name. You don’t dwell on the interaction you had with the girl, having no idea how that one encounter would change both your lives forever.
– –
You have to give it to them. It’s not what you expected a summer camp would look like. It’s clean, the teenagers are loud, but not to the point where it makes you want to tear your ears off—they're organized, and the clothes are pretty cool.
It’s almost like the summer camp from that movie you watched, Parent Trap.
Right now, you follow your cousin to the cafeteria to get breakfast; your eyes widen when you see the array of choices you have. Getting a plate, you go for a waffle, drizzling it in syrup and a few berries. You look up when the camp administrator greets you a ‘good morning’ and you greet her in return.
As you finish getting your breakfast, you go to the side, waiting for your cousin to finish. You survey the crowded room to see where you both could sit. You see the brunette from yesterday already looking at you. You can’t bring yourself to look away; it seems as if there’s a magnetic pull between the two of you.
“So I got these chicken tenders, which I’m pretty sure are for lunch, but they served and got it anyway—what are you looking at?” You look at your cousin, who’s now beside you. You shrug and take a piece of chicken tender and bring it in your mouth, motioning for her to follow you to a table.
Your cousin tries to see where you were looking earlier, surveying the area of your view, but finds herself coming up with nothing. Maybe the books you read made your imagination wide and you’re finally getting cuckoo, she thinks.
“Is it good?” Your cousin asks with sarcasm dripping in her tone, seeing you take a bite of the chicken. You nod enthusiastically, teasing her even more as you dip the chicken on her plate.
“You’re disgusting,” she remarks, focusing on her plate as you chuckle at her.
You leave her alone, figuring that if you push her to her limits, she may leave you alone to fend for yourself for the rest of the camp—given your introverted ass, you feel like you’d die with that.
After that, you and your cousin roam around the area, getting used to the place and looking at some of the activities you both can join. She signs up for basketball while you sign up for arts and crafts.
Roaming around some more, you reach the office of the camp administrator and look at the various pictures from campers all throughout the years. From the black-and-white photos to the more recent ones, you see the brunette from yesterday and earlier at breakfast on the basketball team. She’s grinning at the camera as she holds the ball beside the girl who’s holding the trophy.
“Are you a fan of basketball?” You jump slightly from where you stood, and you try to disguise it as you look at the person beside you. You discreetly look up from her head to her toe through your peripheral, seeing them slightly sweaty as they try to catch her breath. “I could help you prepare for tryouts if you want.”
“Uh no, I’m not. Sorry,” you continue to look at the other trophies, still feeling the presence beside you. Just as you hear them let out a sigh, finally thinking that they finally got the hint to walk away, you see a hand offered to you.
“I’m Wanda. I’m sorry I bumped into you yesterday.” You look down at her hand and turn to your side, now fully taking her in. She’s wearing a jersey sporting the camp’s official logo with her number in it. “You are?”
You shrug your head from your thoughts as you take her hand, shaking it as you say your name. With that, the girl smiles brightly, and you feel your heart skip a beat at the sight. Her smile can be compared to that of a sun shining brightly—no, her smile even better. But you pocket that in the deep corner of your mind as she utters your name under her breath. As if trying to let her tongue get used to it.
“Y/N, I like that. Your name’s pretty,” she compliments you as she lets go of your hand, taking a sip of water in her tumbler, and you look away, thinking you may look weird if you keep staring at her while drinking.
“Thank you; I like your name too.” Your word causes the smile to return to her face once again. “It’s unique.” With that, you notice a faint redness forming on her cheeks, though she tries to hide it by looking down at her sneakers.
You like seeing the girl all so bashful and shy, a contrast to what you’ve seen yesterday and earlier—not that you were constantly looking around you hoping to see her, no. You just happen to see her naturally, in the most normal way.
“Do you play basketball?” You motion to her uniform, and you cringe as she raises an eyebrow at you. Asking a question with the most obvious answer, way to go, Y/N.
Wanda laughs when she sees how you visibly cringe as your question sinks in to you. Ever since yesterday, she cannot help but be captivated by you. Though you may present a cold exterior, the brunette thinks that it may be just you being unfamiliar with the place, thus making you uncomfortable and shy.
She rather thinks it’s an endearing quality of you.
“If I say that I do, would you be impressed, and I can coerce you into joining the team?” You chuckle at that, shuffling on the floor as you look down, looking back to the brunette and feeling overwhelmed at how she gives you her whole, undivided attention. Instead, you look to something behind her when you see your cousin walking towards you.
“I really don’t play, sorry. But my cousin does, and she’s coming this way right about—" you trail off, waiting for your cousin to arrive, and when she does, you continue. “now”
“Oh, hi! I’m Kate. Nice to meet you,” Kate offers her hand for Wanda to take, and after a second she does. They both look at you after the introduction, and you find it weird how they did it at the same time.
Realizing that you’re the only one who knows the two of them, you cough as you spring into action. “Oh, Kate, this is Wanda. She’s on the basketball team that you’re going to try out for later,” you motion for the brunette who smiles at your cousin. You take notice of how her smile isn’t as big earlier when you were both talking.
“And Wanda, this is Kate, my cousin.” You put the information at the back of your mind for later; maybe she’s just a bit shy around new people like you.
After the introduction, Kate talks the brunette’s ears off about the tryout that is going to happen later. Wanda looks back at you when your cousin loops her arm over the girl; she looks at you helplessly, mouthing ‘help me’, but you wave your hand off, laughing at her.
“You’ll be fine; Kate doesn’t bite.” Even though you tried to be careful so your cousin wouldn’t hear, she still does, turning around to look at you, glaring. “You’re ruining the chances of beautiful Wanda here on helping me get in the team, Y/N!”
Wanda moves away from Kate, arching an eyebrow at her. “Who says I agreed to help you? You haven’t even asked me yet.” She puts a hand on her hips, and if your cousin were any other person, they’d be deterred, but she only gives Wanda a wide smile.
“Please, please, please? I’m a much better cousin than Y/N over here,” you laugh at the incredulity as Kate juts her bottom lip. “All Y/N ever wants to do is rot like the pages of the books she reads anyway.”
You know that it was supposed to be a joke, yet you can’t help but feel a pang on your chest at the remark. It is the truth, after all. All you ever want to do is be by yourself, finding solace at the prospect of being alone where you can have the control to do what you want. But it still hurts.
You haven’t noticed that the brunette was able to see how you seem to shrink on yourself as you process Kate’s words. You look down at your sneakers all throughout your walk back to the main area, following Kate and Wanda; the other teens’ chatter serves as your background noise.
“I would give you pointers on what you should do for the tryouts if Y/N comes to watch later.” You’re brought back to reality when you hear your name being uttered. Wanda looks at you with concern etched onto her emerald green orbs, and Kate, on the other hand, desperation. “Would you come, please?”
At being put on the spot, you feel heat rush through your cheeks. You pull at the thread on your shorts as you stutter out a response when your cousin cuts you off.
“I’ll buy you three books when we get back; just please come with us later.” Kate, being the dramatic one in the family, kneels in front of you and grasps the bottom of your shirt. Begging you to agree.
You laugh quietly at her antics; you spare Wanda a look before giving Kate your attention. You brush her knuckles to ease her hold on your top. “Okay, I’ll go.”
Kate stands to her feet and thanks you, going back to Wanda and clashing her palm with the brunette’s. As Kate hugs Wanda, the brunette looks at you then shrugs, mouthing a ‘thank you’ at you.
You don’t know what she’s thanking you for, but you just nod at her nonetheless. As you part ways, you and Kate going back to your shared cabin with two other girls, your mind drifts back at how Wanda seems to be always looking at you. Do you have something on your face or something?
Nevertheless, you climb on the bunk bed and decide to rest your eyes for a bit, letting Kate’s chatter fade into the background as your mind lulls you to sleep by thinking of a certain someone’s eyes, drawing you further into slumber.
– –
You know that you should be focusing on cheering your cousin, but seeing a certain someone in action has quickly got you distracted. The try out started half an hour ago, and Kate, fortunately managed to advance towards the last level of the tryouts, they have to play against the current players on the team.
And frankly, you won’t admit it to anyone but the game got your interest, especially when you saw her enter the court, waving to everyone who’s watching, but a wide smile formed on her lips when she saw you on the bleachers at the third row. She winked at you before going to their team huddle.
The game is almost over, and you’re quite impressed at how well Kate is holding herself up there. She’s able to score a few times and dodge the members of the team. She even managed to score from the three-point line twice!
Just as your cousin is dribbling the ball, waiting for her other teammates to be open when it seems impossible to score herself, the ball is stolen from her by none other than Wanda. The brunette quickly runs to the other side of the court, doesn’t think twice before she shoots. At the three-point line!
When she runs away, she finds you across the audience and gives you a two-fingered salute. You try not to make eye contact with the people who looked at you, feeling heat rush at your cheeks from her action.
As the game concludes, Wanda’s team wins, naturally. Although, Kate’s team only lost by a few points, and you immediately go down the bleachers as you wait for your cousin to be dismissed by the coach. While waiting, you see the brunette jogging towards you.
“Hey” she stops in front of you as she catches her breath. You try not to stare too much at exposed skin from her biceps, neck, then legs, seeing how sweaty they are.
“That was some game back there” you get closer to her so she can hear your voice. Totally not an excuse to get a whiff of her perfume amid the sweaty state.
“Yeah, I even dedicated my game to you”
“What?” you try to laugh it off, ignoring the butterflies fluttering in your stomach at her admission.
Wanda on the other hand, just grins at you, nodding her head enthusiastically to convince you that she’s telling the truth. She just hums, not repeating her words, instead says something else that does something to your heart. “Pretty girls like you should get games dedicated to them, don’t you think?”
And before you can say something else, a voice from a redhead called Wanda, getting both of your attention. “Wanda! Get your sweaty ass in the shower, you stink!”
“You go ahead, Nat! I’m busy over here!”
“You can find plenty of other times to flirt with your girlfriend, Maximoff–”
“Blyat! Shut up, Romanoff!”
You look back and forth between the two of them, seeing the brunette in front of you blush and get shy at the prospect of being your girlfriend and flirting with you eases the discomfort you feel.
Not totally an unwelcome feeling though, just foreign.
“Don’t listen to her, she just likes to say dumb things to get a reaction out of me” Wanda offers you a smile– albeit an embarrassed one as she buries her hands at the front pocket of her shorts. “Anyway, I’ll see you later at dinner. Thank you for coming to the tryouts, Y/N”
You just mutter your farewell as the brunette waves her hand at you as she jogs off to head to the shower room, refreshing before dinner. You give her a small wave in return, watching her form disappear in the said room.
“The coach says that they’ll just post the announcement of accepted players on the bulletin board at the camp administrator’s office tomorrow afternoon” Kate joins your side, pulling the hem of her shirt and using it to wipe the sweat off her face. “Be honest, d’you think I’d make the team?”
You chuckle at her childish antics, leading the way to head back to your cabin to do a bit of freshening up before dinner. “Of course, you basically carried the team on your back”
“Yeah? And what is going on between you and Wanda?”
“Nothing”
“Uh-huh”
“Look! There’s a bear near the tree!”
– –
Before you know it, the summer is about to end. Frankly, you enjoyed yourself at the summer camp. A hard pill to swallow, yes, and Kate won’t be able to get it out of you that easily.
As surprising as it was for you, you made quite a handful of friends– mostly the two other girls you shared the room with Kate, Yelena and her sister Natasha. Yelena is the same age as you and Kate, and you have a feeling that something is happening between the two of them. And Natasha, she’s the one who teased Wanda in front of you after the basketball tryouts.
Natasha is two years older than you guys, and everytime she happens to be left alone with you, she keeps wiggling her eyebrows as if she knows something that you don’t. Everytime you ask her about that, she just says it’s nothing, but it infuriates you even more when she sing-songs the words.
You are standing a few feet behind Kate as you wait for your mom to pick you up. You let her have the privacy to bid her farewell to her newfound friends including your roommates. Crossing your arms over your chest, you try not to be envious of the amount of people saying they’d miss her as you blow a stray hair that’s fallen on your eyes.
“Can I have your address?” you jump slightly and turn on your left to glare at the person responsible for scaring you.
“You have got to stop sneaking on me, Wanda! Can’t you just approach me like a normal person?” Wanda laughs softly though you can see her ears are getting slightly red, her fingers fidgeting with the rings adoring it.
“Sorry, but it’s our thing now” you scoff at the finality in her voice, fighting a smile from making its way on your lips but Wanda notices it. She notices everything about you.
When it seems like you aren’t going to talk anytime soon, she scoots closer to you and nudges your elbow with hers. “Come on, can I have your address?”
“What are you going to do with it?”
This time, she looks at you, overwhelming you with how beautiful her eyes are– though with the amount of times you had eye-to-eye contact with Wanda, you should be used to it, right? Well, you thought wrong because right now, your heartbeat quickens at the intensity of her stare.
“Just so I can calculate how far I’d be from you so I can find ways on how to visit you, and then you’d give me your number and social media accounts so we’d be able to keep in touch” at the way she says it so casually as if it’s just a normal occurrence between friends, like it totally did not bring a flutter on your stomach, you feel your facade slowly breaking.
Damn it, Wanda. You’re supposed to be the cool and mysterious introverted cousin.
You cough to bring yourself time to compose your words, her stare at you filled with no pressure, just expecting. “Are you sure you won’t use it to buy stuff online then send it to my house as a form of twisted and sick prank?”
The brunette clutches her chest with her hand in fake offense, causing a chuckle to slip off of you. “That’s actually a dick thing to do, wasting everybody's time and effort like that, especially the delivery rider’s”
“Okay, sorry, sorry” you raise your hands in surrender, but the brunette still isn’t breaking. But you can feel yours crumbling. Sighing, you ask for her phone and write your address, giving her your social media accounts as well.
Wanda claps her hands in victory as she peeks over your shoulder to see what you’re typing. Deep inside, she desperately hopes that you aren’t states apart, or worse, countries apart. “Ooh, and don’t forget your contact number”
You tilt your head and look up at her, gasping at the proximity between you and the brunette. Merely inches away from her face, you are able to see some freckles scattered on the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. It’s cute, you think.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” she whispers between the two of you, her voice clearer since your ear is inches away from her lips, making you feel the warmth as she takes a breath. You close your eyes, forcing yourself not to shudder at the feeling.
“Uh no, I was just meaning to ask why my phone number is necessary”
“We don’t have data all the time, Y/N. How am I meant to contact you if I run out of data?” she gestures wildly with her hands as if the logic of not giving your entire contact information is not plausible.
Rolling your eyes good-naturedly, you go to her contacts and add yours. As you return the phone back to the brunette, she looks at your contact, a bright smile breaking out of her face as she looks up at you.
“Oh! One more thing!” Before you can ask what you may have forgotten, she shoves her phone in your face, a shutter being heard as she takes a photo of you. “Thank you”
“What was that?” you blink a few times, trying to process what just happened. “I feel like you’re obsessed with me… and not in a healthy way”
The brunette just hums as she taps the screen of her phone a few times, then shows you her screen with your contact number, now with the photo she took of you flashing on it. “See! Just for communication purposes, promise”
You arch an eyebrow when her voice gets higher, an indication that she’s not telling the truth yet not exactly lying either. You are about to reply to her when the assistant of camp administrator calls your and Kate’s name. You all look at the voice and a grin makes its way on your face when you see your mom’s car.
You rush to gather your bags at the ground, not noticing the frown that makes its way to Wanda’s face at seeing you leave when she hasn’t even said goodbye.
Throughout the summer, she definitely did not expect to fall for someone. She did not expect to bump into you the first day of camp and be captivated by your eyes. And even though you may have a bit of a cold exterior, the bits and pieces of warmth you let her see throughout your conversations just makes her fall for you harder.
“My mom’s here… please don’t hesitate to contact me” you call her attention. And in a surge of confidence, you wrap your arms around her, burying your face in her neck. “I’ll miss you, Wanda” you whisper in her ear as you pull away.
You bid Natasha and Yelena your goodbyes, but neither of them got the hug that Wanda just did and it definitely makes her feel a tiny bit better. You wave at the trio as you pull Kate towards the car, your cousin waving at them without looking at what she’s walking through.
Wanda watches you enter the car, the top of your head the only visible part of your body she sees through the back window of the car. She watches with a forlorn heart as the vehicle leaves the compound, taking you with it.
“What’s with the face, lover girl?” she shakes her head and looks at the redhead, “There’s this thing called the internet, you can still see and talk to your girlfriend”
“What? S-she’s not–”
“It’s written all over your face, solnechnyy svet. If you like her so much, why didn’t you ask her out?” Yelena puts a hand on her hip, unimpressed by the denial her sister’s best friend is showing. “The confident Wanda Maximoff being rendered shy and speechless by Y/N Y/LN”
“Okay stop!” Wanda wraps her arm around the blonde’s waist, her other hand putting it at the top of Yelena’s mouth to stop her from talking. “I’m not even sure if she likes me back! And not to mention long distance? Are we really ready for that? It seems like a huge commitment”
Yelena squirms as she tries to pull away, but to no avail the brunette has a strong grip on her. So she thinks of another tactic and licks the brunette’s palm with her tongue, effectively making the brunette let go of her.
“My god, you’re disgusting”
“Just admit you’re a chicken–”
“Okay, stop girls!” Natasha puts herself between Wanda and her sister, laughing at the state you left her best friend and her sister teasing her even more.
Seriously, of all the years she knew Wanda Maximoff, she always seems to be confident, knowing what she wants to do and is decisive. Now though, you managed to break past her walls, revealing a soft and shy girl underneath.
“Did you get her address, champ?” the redhead asks instead, and Wanda fumbles on her phone to read what you typed earlier, Natasha and Yelena peeking through the brunette’s phone.
“Congrats, you won’t be one of those star-crossed lovers that Shakespeare wrote about”
– –
You’re having a bad day.
You step into your room and lock your bedroom door behind you, falling face first on your bed. You ignore how your outside clothes are probably staining your bedsheet as you think over the events that happened earlier this week, leading up to you finally reaching your breaking point.
Since school started, you’ve been busy. Balancing your studies while managing the art club considering that you’ve been elected the president for the academic year—it’s been hard. Having to socialize for most of the week, you usually end up sleeping immediately as soon as your head hits the mattress.
And since it’s the second week of October already, the art club has been selected to be in charge of the decorations for the incoming Homecoming. You’ve been attending meetings with the student council almost every other day, deciding on the theme and other whatnot, leaving you exhausted.
You wake up, groaning as you get used to your surroundings. You tap around the bed for your phone, finding it near your feet, and you look at the time, sighing in relief when you realize you’ve only slept for half an hour. You scroll through the notifications, and as usual, there’s a text notification from a certain someone five minutes ago, asking you how your day has been.
After the summer camp, you and Wanda have been communicating every day. May it be from texts, chats, or calls, not a day goes by when you don’t talk to each other. It doesn’t have to be a long conversation; sometimes random updates throughout the day are enough.
Since school started, you were scared that it would slow down, eventually ceasing, and it could lead to the fallout of you and your camp friend, and you were relieved when Wanda called you, opening up about the same fear. And now here you are, still in contact with her.
You start to type back, keeping it short because even though you’ve managed to regain some of your energy, it is only enough to do your homework. Not even a minute later, the brunette replies.
6:13 pm delivered
are u ok? can i call?
6:14 pm delivered
I dont want to talk.
not a good company rn
You sigh, getting up from your bed to start and do your homework. You were getting some fresh clothes after your shower when you saw your phone lighting up. You take a deep breath when you see Wanda calling you, answering the call.
“Finally, she answered! I’ve been calling you for ten minutes already! ”You set the phone on loudspeaker as you chuckle, putting a nice clean shirt and sweatpants on. “Okay, I know you said that you’re not a good company right now, but you don’t have to talk... okay, maybe let me know you’re still there every once in a while. I can be just background music while you're doing whatever. What do you say?”
Frankly, if it were any other person, you’d be annoyed. Hanging up the phone immediately after saying ‘no’, but this is Wanda; you’ve come to the fairly recent conclusion that she’s different from the others. Usually, you’d be uncomfortable and itching to leave the situation if it were most people, but not Wanda. You find yourself craving her attention.
“Uhm okay. You can talk, I guess.” You hear her celebrate on the other line, and you hear shuffling.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
You spent an hour doing your homework and catching up on the lessons you didn't understand clearly at class earlier today. Just as Wanda’s telling you her conversation with someone from her class, you hear your mother call you for dinner.
“Wands, can we continue this later? My mom’s calling me for dinner.” You regretfully interrupted her because, believe it or not, you were attentively listening to each and every word she utters. “You really helped me today, more than you probably know. Thank you”
You hear her disappointed sigh, though she tries to mask it as coughing. “Oh, it’s okay. I’m glad I helped make you feel better.”
“And hey, when you happen to have a break from school, maybe we can meet up. I’d go to you, or vice versa. Whatever you want?”
It’s been a good thing that you and Wanda are just a city away from each other. If anything, it only made Wanda much more eager to strengthen her friendship with you. Even though you don’t go to the same school, it doesn’t matter.
Plus, as soon as she got home, the first thing she did was search for your social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. She immediately sent you a follow request and friend request from the respective apps and fell down the rabbit hole of going through your photos.
When she accidentally liked a photo on your Instagram from a few years ago, the first thing you messaged her on the app was, ‘Does a thirteen-year-old me live up to your expectations?’, she only managed to calm down thirty minutes later; you liked an old photo of her as well. The brunette is messaged you that you’re even now.
“Yeah, we can do that,” you breathe out. The prospect of seeing Wanda outside of summer camp and your laptop screen sends flutters on your stomach. “But I really have to go now, okay? Thank you again, Wanda. Talk to you later,” you tell her before you hang up.
You take a deep breath, composing yourself before going downstairs to eat dinner with your family. Mustering a smile, you skip on the stairs and greet your mother, your conversation with Wanda taking a backseat for now.
Wanda, on the other hand, moves from her position on the floor, making a beeline towards her nightstand. Opening the drawer, she smiles at the Polaroid photograph of you that she took during one of your arts and crafts sessions at summer camp. It was clearly taken outside of the room, with the window being seen at the corner and your side profile at the center of the photograph.
She smiles at the memory, remembering the day all too well. You had your eyebrows furrowed in concentration, putting your entire concentration on making a bowl. It was pottery class for the session; you were tasked to make your own bowl, then come back tomorrow to design it as you like.
“You look like a creep. No, no. You are a creep,” she says, looking up from your photo and dodges the popcorn that her brother throws her way. She hurriedly puts your photo back inside the drawer, chasing her twin as he runs out of her room. “Does she know that you look at her photo at least three times a day? Or that you took a photo of her in the first place?”
“Shut up! I hate you so much!”
“Mama! Wanda and Pietro are being loud! You know I have an exam tomorrow, and I need peace and quiet.” Pietro blows a raspberry at their youngest sibling and leaves Wanda alone, going back to his room.
Wanda, on the other hand, mutters a 'sorry’ at her, but her contrite expression is the opposite of her action; she slow-walks towards her sister’s room, raising her hands akin to a dinosaur claw and attacking her. “What did you say?”
“Don’t you dare, Wanda,” her sibling backs away and hits the cabinet, looking back and muttering a curse under her breath.
“I heard that. Put a quarter in the swear jar, Lorna,” is the only thing Wanda says and proceeds to attack the young girl with her hands, tickling her.
“S-stop, Wanda! I still have to review my math, please!”
Wanda lets up after a minute, pulling away, and catches her breath. She takes the time to look around Lorna’s room, her eyes reading the sample problems in the book. She feels Lorna’s arms wrap around the brunette’s waist, her head resting on Wanda’s back. “You’re the best big sister, Wanda.”
The brunette chuckles and turns around to face her sister, pressing her lips on Lorna’s hair. “I’m the only sister you have, Lorna.”
– –
You managed to find a pocket of free time amid your busy schedule. And surprisingly, it aligns with Wanda’s. You’re on your way to the mall about twenty minutes from where you live, slightly anxious about what meeting Wanda may unfold.
The brunette told you to meet her at the foodcourt, and once you reach your destination, you put your phone out to text her and ask where she is, but you spot her at the table near the windows.
She hasn’t noticed you yet, her gaze at the bustling scenery outside. You can’t look away from the sight, the sun reflecting her chocolate brown locks that cascade beautifully down her shoulders, the rings adorning her fingers shining at you.
"Hey,” you feel a bit unsure as you approach her, but when she turns her head to look at you, a smile automatically forms on her lips, making you wonder why you’re uncertain about meeting Wanda in the first place.
“Hi, can I hug you? ”The brunette stands up from the chair, about to touch you, but stops when she remembers all those times you seem to tense up or jump whenever someone touches you.
You nod, feeling touched that she asked before doing so. Wanda slowly steps into your proximity, giving you the time to change your mind, but you stay still until her arms wrap around you. Her scent is wrapping you, and you’ve come to the conclusion that you could get used to this.
Wanda pulls away but still keeps her hands on your upper arm, as if looking for something as she observes you.
“What?” You chuckle awkwardly, tucking stray hair behind your ear as you look at her.
The brunette opens and closes her mouth a few times, as if the words are at the tip of her tongue, but she’s gaining the courage to say them. Instead, she says something else. Something more friend-like. “Nothing. Just missed you, is all.”
“You see me every week; we talk through the phone. You’re being crazy.” You try to ignore the flutters in your stomach, thinking that she’s just being friendly with you... and given that you only have a handful of friends, you think that it’s inappropriate what you’re thinking of her.
Wanda rolls her eyes, squeezing your arms gently for comfort before she completely pulls away, putting her hands behind her back. “Okay, smart-ass. As if you haven’t missed my presence as well.”
You pinch her side and automatically move away from her, dodging her attempt to punch you in the arm. After that, you both decide to walk through the establishment first since neither of you were hungry. You pointed out a dog and went on to tell Wanda a story of how badly you wanted a dog since you were a kid, but unfortunately you weren’t allowed to have one because your mom was allergic to them.
You fail to notice how Wanda is looking at you the entire time, and when you asked her about the dog’s cuteness, she was looking at you as she agreed.
You were cuter than any dog, she thinks.
“Can I ask you something?” Wanda asks as you take a seat on one of the empty benches as you take a bite of your pretzel, the brunette following after you but leaving only a few inches of space between the two of you.
“You just did,” you grin at her as she rolls her eyes at you, muttering 'smart-ass’ under her breath. “But go on.”
Wanda fiddles with the wrapping of the burrito she’s eating, feeling nervous all of a sudden. She knows that asking you this would be a bit of a reach given that you go to different schools, you have a busy schedule, and that it’s a bit weird, but she’s still taking her shot. What’s the worst that could happen?
“Would you go to my homecoming dance? ... With me, of course,” you stop chewing on the pastry and look at her, trying to decipher whether she’s joking or not. When you see how anxious she looks, it dawns on you that she’s serious about it.
You wrap the pretzel back on the paper bag and put it in your lap, putting a hand on Wanda’s thigh, and squeeze it to gain her attention. When she does, her emerald green orbs mirror anxiousness. And you give her a smile to ease her feelings.
“Thank you for asking me, even though, from what you’ve told me yesterday, you still have almost a month before the dance.”
“but?”
“But I’m not sure I’d be able to make it.” You visibly notice her shoulders deflating as soon as you utter those words. And instantly, you feel bad. So you hurry to try and mend the situation, bouncing in your seat as you try to make her feel better.
“I’m sure there’d be other people who would be honored to go with you—those who are in your school, might I add. Plus, I know for a fact that you’re the prettiest girl in your school; you won’t have a hard time finding a replacement for me.”
“But I don’t want them, Y/N. I want you,” she whines and takes a huge bite of the burrito, the sauce falling off and onto her shirt. “Damn, it’s going to be hard to wash this later.”
You watch the girl beside you fuss over the stain in her shirt, as if her words did not cause the butterflies in your stomach to erupt into chaos. Yeah, a totally normal thing for a friend to say.
“What did you say?” You whisper, doing your best to get yourself together.
“What?” The brunette curses when it seems like the sauce won’t come off, accepting her fate as she looks back at you. And as her earlier words sink into her, her eyes widen, and her heart starts to rapidly beat out of her chest. “Because, you know, I like you; you’re my friend, and I would love to be in your company; that way those grueling hours stuck in a high school court won’t be as bad with you.”
Heat rises up in your cheeks from hearing those words come out of her lips. For the seventeen years of your life, no friend has ever told you to your face how they are lucky to have a friend like you. And seeing Wanda do so, not to mention you’ve only been friends for almost five months, you feel like you’ve won the friendship lottery somehow.
"Well, I like you too, you know. And no one has ever told me that they love my company before; usually they tell me to socialize more and be present with them, but not you. I’m always myself with you, so thank you, Wanda. Truly”
And because touch has never been one of your strongest suits, it takes every courage in your body to scoot closer to Wanda, your thighs touching as you bring her in a one-armed hug. Even though you're holding her, you’re tense as you’re the one initiating contact.
Wanda feels touched that you went out of your comfort zone to initiate contact with her. She’s supposed to turn and look at you, then thank you, but when she does, you still haven’t pulled away, so her nose ends up inhaling your shampoo. She closes her eyes when the flowery scent invades her senses.
You pull away when the brunette did not move, thinking that you may have gone a bit over line with her boundary, about to apologize when she beats you to it.
“You’re welcome, Y/N. I like that you’re there to listen to my ramblings with whatever comes to my mind, so I guess we’re even,” she laughs, but you can’t help that even though you managed to elicit a laugh from her, it’s still a bit sad for your liking.
Having a battle in your mind on whether you should make promises when you’re not entirely certain of your availability, you sigh, looking at the ceiling above you before facing her once again. “Okay, fine. I’ll see if I’m available at your dance. I should know about it by the end of the week; I’ll tell you at our weekly video call.”
As soon as the words leave your mouth, Wanda’s arms wrap around you. The force is almost tackling you to the ground as you bring your arms around her shoulders, gripping them tightly in case you fall off.
“Hold up, I still haven’t given you a definite yes yet,” you laugh, absentmindedly rubbing soothing circles on her back. The brunette just gives you a squeeze before pulling back, that huge smile on her face now back.
“I don’t care; I just feel in my bones you’d get to go with me.”
– –
Your legs bounce repeatedly as you wait for your laptop to turn on. You know that she’d be ecstatic once you break the news to her, but imagining yourself in a crowded place full of people you are not familiar with makes you doubt your decision.
You log in to Zoom and send the meeting link to Wanda, the brunette reacting with a heart emoji to the link as you send them. A little over a minute later, she enters, her sunshine face filling your laptop screen, causing a small quirk in your lips to form as well.
“Hey, how have you been? ”You start off, asking her the usual before diving into the main event of your call this week.
Even though it’s been only three days since you last saw each other, and you’ve been texting updates with each other, it took Wanda almost twenty minutes to tell you what she missed telling you through text.
“You have a real knack for gossip, you know that, right?”You tease her as she scoffs at you.
“I don’t look for gossip, Y/N. They simply come to me,” she explains plainly, taking a bite of her snack. You see a figure come inside her bedroom, and since her laptop is set up that overlooks, you see a man smiling at it.
Wanda notices it as well, rolling her eyes and telling you to wait for her a minute as she’s going to tell him off. You give her a go ahead, and she clicks the mute button. You go to fix your things since you’ve just finished doing homework and other things, just resting as you talk to her.
“What?”
You look back to your laptop when you hear her; you thought that it was you she was talking to and is about to answer when you hear the boy talk before you.
“Nothing. Who are you talking to? ”You now see that Wanda has clicked on the offcam button instead of the mute one as you go back to your desk and see nothing but Wanda’s profile photo in the middle of the screen.
You don’t know whether you should interrupt them and say how you’ve been accidentally eavesdropping on them for a while now, but you’re kind of interested in how this will play out.
“It’s Y/N. My friend from camp. Now, what do you want? ”Hearing Wanda with her voice in a serious tone sends shudders through your body. You can imagine the furrow in her eyebrows as she glares at the person responsible for her tone.
“Oh? Your girlfriend? I’m getting antsy from all those stories you used to bore Lorna and me; if she’s so great, like in what you tell us, then why won’t you let me meet her? ”
Okay, maybe now is the time to interrupt before you hear something you’d spend days overthinking on. “And you must be the only sane sibling Wanda has? Though I’d like to think that a parent naming their boy ‘Lorna’ is a bit unconventional.”
You try to sound nonchalant, as if you didn’t hear her twin brother talk about you. Easing your place in the conversation with a joke. At that, Wanda’s line goes silent. The only indication you know she’s still in the meeting is that her profile photo is still there, yet she’s still not muted.
The brunette turns the camera on as she flashes you an embarrassed smile. Through the camera, you can see the hint of pink tinging her cheeks, and her twin brother now sat beside her.
“Hi, Y/N. It’s nice to finally meet you; I’m Pietro, Wanda’s handsome twin brother.” Pietro greets you through the camera, flashing you one of his supposed charming smiles that Wanda has told you at least a couple of times when he would talk to girls at their school.
You see Wanda shuffle and Pietro muttering an ‘ouch’, and it’s not hard to deduce that she just pinched or kicked the man somewhere you can’t see.
“Hi, Pietro. Please tell Lorna that I miss talking to her.” You wait for three seconds until you get a reaction out of him. The man’s face shifts to offense as he turns to look between you and his sister, his finger pointing between you and Wanda as he pieces everything together.
“Y-you, you’re shitting me.”
“Well yes, I am, of course. Good you finally pieced it together, Pietro.” You give him a teasing smile and wink at the camera for good measure.
Apparently, talking runs to the whole family because after the whole prank you did with Pietro, the boy was talking your ears off about his adventures at school and how you’d fit in easily. All the while Wanda is listening intently as she moves to her bed, occupying herself with reading a book you recommended to her.
She gives her brother the side eye when it seems like he’s got no awareness of what time it is and it should be her talking to you. She coughs a couple of times, trying to subtly get his attention, but when she does, all Pietro does is make her get and drink water in the kitchen.
Rolling her eyes, the brunette begrudgingly leaves the room, going downstairs to drink water, and happens to come across Lorna on the dining table doing her assignment. She comes over and ruffles her sister’s hair, earning a glare from the youngest.
“I thought you’re having a video call with Y/N right now.”
Wanda huffs, rolling her eyes as she gets reminded of Pietro stealing her time with you. And Lorna seems to catch on when Wanda motions to Pietro upstairs, nodding her head in understanding.
“Oh, okay. Would you like to help me with my assignment? It’s supposed to be an essay on the greatest book we’ve ever read.”
Wanda thinks about it for a while, because she doesn't know what her twin is going to reveal to you unsupervised, yet at the same time she also knows that if anyone can handle Pietro aside from her, it’d be you.
So she nods in agreement and takes a seat in the empty chair beside her sister to ask what she’s currently at. “So what have you got so far?”
Meanwhile, you are having a great time listening to Pietro’s stories, yet it sank on you that you couldn’t see his twin any longer. Earlier, she was beside him, then she moved to the bed and busied herself with something. She didn’t think you’d notice, but you did.
Albeit hesitant at first to continue conversing with Pietro without his sister around, you managed to hold your ground. Even managing to interject with your opinions every once in a while. Right now though, it seems as if he’s run out of stories to tell and has been staring at you for a minute.
It’s quite unsettling.
"So, Y/N, how are you and Wanda so far? ”
“We’re okay. Why do you ask? ”You question him, truly curious as to what she could be possibly telling her family about you. The thought makes you anxious, but it’s Wanda; she’s all good there is.
"You know how my younger sister is, right? She–”
“She says you’re only older by twelve minutes. That barely counts—”
“Poteyto, potato. Anyway, you know her as this happy, outgoing, and bubbly person, right? I never thought that I’d see her be more... happy? It’s like every day ever since she came back from that camp, it’s like she had her own sun, walking on cloud nine. But then she told me of this girl who she met there, that she found someone who—”
“Where are you going with this?” You decide to interrupt him, feeling like he’s gone way off topic of what he truly wants to say.
“All I’m saying is Y/N, I really like how positively impacted my sister’s life. And I like you for her; you’re great. But I’m telling you as early as now that if you hurt her, I hurt you.”
You don’t know why you suddenly got hot even though you have the air conditioner turned on. Plus, it’s just Pietro; it’s not like he can hurt you through the screen. Nonetheless, you gulp, nodding at him, and just like that, his charming smile is back on his face.
“Yeah, I would never do anything to cloud her sunny day.”
You never got to actually tell her that you’d be able to come to her dance because after your talk with Pietro, you had to help your mother with dinner, and you excused yourself, telling him to tell Wanda that you would talk to her soon.
Now though, it feels impersonal just texting the brunette of your confirmation so you pull all the connections you have, praying to any gods listening that this would work.
– –
It’s monday. You never got back to the brunette about your confirmation that you should've told her the other day before Pietro so rudely barged in and stole her time with you. She opens her locker to set her things down that she won’t need, looking at a Polaroid of you two together with the wackiest expression on your faces.
It was taken during game night; everyone should be asleep by then, and the camp staff just finished a sweep and deemed it enough that every cabin already has their lights out. Unfortunately, they did not inspect the windows and saw one cabin exceeding with one girl while the other was lacking.
“If we get caught, I’m not going down with you guys.”
“Stop being such a wuss. Look at Y/N; she looks as chill as a cat.”
“What about me?”
Natasha snickers at you as she eyes your and Wanda’s close proximity. The brunette beside you doesn’t notice the look her friend gave you as she continues to shuffle the uno cards, giving three players each.
“If you really don’t want to join us, then you don’t have to. You can sleep now, Kate. We won’t be drawing funny stuff on your face when you do,” Yelena says seriously as she takes a peek at her cards, not giving anything away as her face stays neutral.
Your cousin huffs as she takes a seat on the floor beside Yelena, her bottom lip jutting out. "Okay, fine, I’ll join. I’m just sparing you the loss because I’m definitely dominating this game.”
Few rounds pass, and it is always either Natasha or Wanda who wins. You’re about to throw your cards in defiance when Yelena puts down a +4 card followed by a +2 card by Kate when the brunette whispers something in your ear.
“Put down the reverse card.”
You grin when you remember the card and look at Kate, her reaction morphing from victory to concern when she sees what the card says. “Oh damn! You’ll rue this day, Y/N!”
You laugh loudly, your body sagging towards Wanda’s side as Kate begrudgingly takes the cards, muttering threats under her breath. You haven’t noticed that Natasha has Wanda’s Polaroid camera in her grasp as she takes a photo of you two.
Natasha takes a photo of you laughing and Wanda with her hand on your waist, trying to keep the both of you from falling on the ground, the brunette all concerned amid your expression.
“Someone made me promise to give this to you and that I need to take a photo of you holding this so they’re certain you’d get it.” Wanda shakes her head from the trip down memory lane as she looks at the redhead who is leaning on the locker beside Wanda, then looks down at the small box she’s holding.
“What’s that?”
The redhead just shrugs, handing the box to Wanda, and looks expectantly at the brunette. “So? Open it”
Wanda looks uncertain as she examines the box without opening it first. It weighs a bit heavy and feels a bit fragile, but she’s at a loss as to who could have sent it to her. “You aren’t even going to tell me who it’s from?”
“No”
“I swear to God if you’re pawning me to someone who likes me, you’re dead meat,” she threatens the redhead as she carefully takes the tape off at the bottom, removing the lid carefully, and she stops when she sees it’s a bento cake.
Wanda chuckles when she sees the word ‘yes’ and a disco ball in icing, immediately knowing it’s from you. Her heart beats rapidly at the prospect of being given the chance to be your partner at such an important event in her life.
“Disco ball, and yes, huh. Is it some sort of euphemism for se-”
“Shut up, Nat. Don’t ruin this for me or else you won’t get even a bite of this cake,” Wanda says almost too sweetly. The redhead grumbles but keeps mum, fishing her phone from her pocket, and snaps a photo of Wanda while admiring the cake you got for her.
She sends it to you, followed by a message.
11:36 am sent
Delivered the package.
I do hope I get paid for my services because, as you can see, the receiver is happy. ;p
You see Natasha’s message twenty minutes later. A smile makes its way onto your face seeing the photo, and you inspect the background when you see your face in the lone Polaroid on what you presume is Wanda’s locker. You zoom in on the image, and it flutters in your stomach awake at the way you and Wanda look together.
It’s cute.
You save the photo for safekeeping after reacting with a heart emoji on it, thanking Natasha and replying that you owe her one. Not a minute later, Wanda’s name pops up on the notification; you immediately click on it as it transfers you to your message thread with the brunette.
12:10 pm delivered
Thanks for the cake!
Should we start dress shopping soon, wdyt?
As you begin to type out a response, the brunette sends you a selfie of her eating the desert; she’s mid-chew and resembles a bunny with her cheeks, with icing at the corner of her lips. You definitely don’t want to wipe the icing on her face with your thumb and then lick it.
You don’t. (not want to)
12:12 pm sent
You’re welcome <3
You totally just want an excuse to see me f2f.
– –
There’s something different today.
It’s not because it’s Wanda’s homecoming dance and you’re about to be surrounded by high schoolers that you don’t know in a place you’re not familiar with, no. There’s just something different that you can’t pinpoint, and it’s eating you up just a tiny bit.
Wanda doesn’t leave your side the entire night. She introduces you to her friends—Clint and Monica—and you finally get to see her brother Pietro face-to-face. Obviously, Natasha’s there as well, and she teased you about the bento cake thing a few weeks ago, leaving your cheeks tingling a faint pink as she left, followed by Steve to the dancefloor.
“Don’t you want to dance?” You turn to face the brunette, who’s been eyeing the dancefloor for a while now. She shakes her head no, saying that she’s fine sitting at the table with you, and you can’t help but feel guilty that you’re basically preventing her from getting the whole high school homecoming experience just because you’re not comfortable.
“Look at that boy; she’s been looking at you for a while now. You can dance with him,” you try to entice her, pointing to the boy near the punch table who averts his eyes when he sees the both of you looking at his way.
The brunette scoffs at him, to which you misunderstood that she might be getting upset with you. You retreat to yourself, keeping your hands intertwined in your lap as your eyes stare at them.
“Do you want to dance?” You try one more time, looking at her.
The brunette furrows her eyebrows as she looks at you in concern. Is she boring you? Oh god, she’s been over her head for a while now that she kind of forgot about her date and where she is.
“Do you?” She brings the question back to you. “I know how crowded places make you uncomfortable, so I never pushed, but if you want to...”
She trails off, leaving you the decision. She’s right, you’re not comfortable dancing around with a room full of strangers, but she’s been making you comfortable all night. Don’t you think it’s your turn to do the same for her?
“Mhm, I do. Come on,” you stand up, jumping on the chair to hype yourself up, brushing the crumbs off your dress as you take Wanda’s hand to pull her towards the dancefloor.
The brunette chuckles as she lets herself be led to the mass of teenagers dancing to ‘HOT TO GO’ by Chappell Roan, but once you get to the middle, you let go of her hand, facing her and unsure of what to do.
You don't have to stare; come here, get with it.
The song's lyrics resonate with what you’re feeling right now. Just dance; you don’t have to think about it. You try to move with the beat, bobbing your head, and all the while Wanda watches you—how you’re basically trying to look like you’re enjoying yourself for her sake.
Wanda gives you a reassuring smile once your eyes look at each other. She leads the two of you as she jumps to the beat, motioning for you to do the same.
“Just look at me! You don’t have to think about them,” the brunette yells at you over the music, and after a while, you find yourself enjoying it. It’s actually an advantage that you don’t know these people, and you don’t have to see them every day, easing your nerves as you let go.
After a while, the song switches to a slow one. Some couples move off the dancefloor to take a breather, and when you see them walking away, you do too, thinking that you could use a break as well. But Wanda holds your wrist to prevent you from walking away, motioning with her head to dance some more.
“I promise you a break after this dance; just humor me, please.”
And who are you to say no when she juts her bottom lip like that? You roll your eyes good-naturedly but nod your head as you follow her back to the dancefloor. Ariana Grande's ‘Moonlight’ is playing as Wanda takes hold of your arms, bringing it to the back of her neck.
I'm crushing' on you, baby.
Stay the way you are.
'Cause I never knew, I never knew.
You could hold moonlight in your hands.
'Til the night I held you
You wrap your arms around Wanda’s neck, trying to hide a gasp when her arms wrap around your waist, bringing you closer together.
“Is this okay?” You find yourself looking at her lips as she whispers the words between the two of you. To which you just nod in agreement, thinking that if you answer verbally, your voice would end up shaky.
Eventually, as Wanda takes the lead and sways the both of you along the beat, you find the courage to rest your head at the crook of her neck, inhaling the floral scent of her perfume.
Baby, I'm falling'
You're my moonlight.
The brunette, on the other hand, feels like the universe is playing her. First, Pietro keeps on telling her that a homecoming dance is a good place to admit her feelings for you. And not just a simple telling, no. He pestered her to the point that she ignores him the best that she can. She loves her brother dearly; she really does; however, there’s a limit to what she can take.
Second, you’ve been more open with her than usual. Yes, she can chalk it up to your strengthening friendship; you’re getting comfortable with her, Yada Yada Yada, but your stares at her have been becoming what she herself has been quite familiar with. The look she recognizes she gives you.
Thirdly, right now. Ever since she came with you to the dance, her classmates have been asking her where she found someone like you. There have been some of her peers who have asked for your number, or social media accounts, or that Wanda introduced you to them—she might have snapped at them a bit. When some have been brave and asked why Wanda chose a friend instead of a girlfriend/boyfriend to go with her, well...
We go back to the situation she’s in right now.
“Y/N?” Wanda calls you, squeezing your sides, and you hum, letting her know you’re all ears with no intentions of pulling away from the position you’re in right now.
The brunette sighs when you don’t move; she really needs you to look at her right now. She needs to look at your eyes and be calmed by them because she’s about to confess to her long-time crush that she likes her, and your eyes are the most effective and efficient way to calm herself.
“What?” You pull away slightly from the brunette, missing her warmth immediately, but you get slightly worried when she doesn’t follow up. “Come on”
You lead Wanda out of the gymnasium and find an empty classroom that’s unlocked, making her go inside amidst her protests that you shouldn’t be breaking to school property even more that you aren’t a student there. You roll your eyes at her reasoning but don’t bother to turn on the lights.
‘What’s going on? Are you okay?” You break the silence and turn the flashlight on your phone, the glow illuminating your and Wanda’s faces.
Wanda fidgets with her fingers as she decides on how to approach the situation. She debates whether she should confess and risk your friendship, but you’re not the type of person to ghost someone after their confession, right?
“I have to tell you something that... I’ve been keeping this inside, and I don’t know how much longer I could go on without telling you.” The brunette looks at you, her eyes pleading with you to stop her somehow, yet you couldn’t find it in yourself to do so.
Walking towards her, weaving your hands through hers slowly though she resists a bit, you intertwine your hands together, your thumb rubbing her knuckles soothingly. “Look, no matter what it is, I can assure you that it won’t change the way I perceive you... unless you murdered someone and just made me an accessory to the crime.”
Wanda chuckles, which makes you smile, easing your worries about her a bit. As her chuckles die down, you give her a reassuring smile, letting her know that you’re there to listen.
“Remember when we bumped into each other at summer camp? That was when we first saw each other, right?” You nod, remembering the day all too well. “You changed my life, Y/N. I always thought that I’m happy and satisfied with what I have because I have a family who loves me, I have friends, and I have everything that I could possibly want. Then you happened.”
Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. You desperately hope that she’s not cutting you off from her life because you only recently accepted that Wanda is a figure you hope stays forever. “Wanda, what–”
“I like you, Y/N. I like how you light up my world ever since I met you. I like how when you’re shy or uncomfortable you would seek my warmth, and I know how touch has been difficult for you, so if you’re the one initiating that, it means you trust me. And I like how you trust me, because I do too. I like everything about you, and I can’t keep silent any longer. I need you to know that I like you.”
Wanda pants as she finishes, as if she ran a marathon, and at the finish line, are you waiting for her? It can practically be that given that she confessed to you already and is anxiously waiting for your response.
“I need you to say something,” she urges you, chuckling due to nervousness as she wrings her hands anxiously. “I mean, it’s totally fine if you don’t reciprocate my feelings or whatever; I won’t let my feelings get in the way of our friendship.”
You nod your head, your tongue sticking out in your cheek as you get your thoughts in order. Not to be dramatic, but you didn’t see this coming. Sure, Kate and your friends from camp that you’ve kept in touch with who tease you and Wanda together, but you just thought it was friendly teasing all this time!
“Y/N, please say something,” Wanda’s voice shakes. Oh god, did she make a mistake confessing this to you? She never should have listened to Pietro.
“Why me?” You ask, breaking Wanda out of her thoughts. The brunette furrows her eyebrows, confusion written across her features.
“What do you mean, why you?”
“Mhm”
The brunette scoffs as if you’ve asked the most offensive question. Her heart stings a bit that you don’t find yourself attractive or interesting when, all this time, it is what Wanda sees about you.
“Y/N, haven’t you been listening? You’re literally the most interesting person I have ever met. Why not you?” Wanda lets her arms fall as she finishes talking, now only looking at you as she holds her breath.
You nod your head after a while, letting Wanda’s words sink in. You look up from your shoes and onto her emerald green orbs, wanting to assure her that it’s fine, everything is fine.
But it isn’t.
On the contrary, you feel like you’d burst any minute. You feel like the room is closing in on you as your breathing gets shallow. You haven’t realized that you’re panicking until you get escorted out of the classroom and onto the crisp, night air of the field outside their school.
Wanda is at a loss of what to do so she resorts to the first thing that comes to her mind. She figures it best if she gets you out of the room as soon as possible given that you look suffocated to her. She avoids her touch to linger, not wanting you to feel smothered. Instead, she waits for you to initiate the contact yourself. But she scoots closer to you so you know she’s there though.
“I-I’m sorry for the way I reacted back there, Wanda. I don’t want to hurt you and I just felt overwhelmed by the whole thing, I’m sorry I panicked” you find your voice after a while, turning so you can look at her. She nods her head in understanding even though her head is pointed down, looking at her fingers.
“It’s okay, it’s my fault, really” you hear her hide a sniff, a clear indication that she’s trying not to cry and your heart stings at the situation. You never expected that the night supposed to be a happy one for the brunette ended up being a disastrous one.
“No! No, it’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault… Come here” you take Wanda in your arms, letting her bury her head onto your neck as you smell her scent, closing your eyes as you savor the moment.
“I like you too, Wanda, as a friend. And I don’t think I’m ready to take the risk that you want because I treasure our friendship too much to cross that line” you whisper between the two of you. As the words leave your mouth and enter the brunette’s ear, you feel her stiffening against your hold, letting a shaky cough as she tries to compose herself. “Crossing that line means that we can never go back to the way things were if we didn’t work out”
Wanda pulls away, turning away from you to wipe a stray tear. As she does so, you take your handkerchief from your pocket then hand it to her, the girl taking it albeit hesitant. “I’m sorry, Wanda, but my friendship is all I can offer you right now”
The brunette turns around to face you once again. She puts on a brave face as she sniffs, giving you a small smile, though a bit pained. “It’s okay, I can live with that”
– –
You wish you could say that things are okay with you and Wanda but it isn’t. Ever since that night, you feel this wall separating you and Wanda– distancing herself from you to guard her heart.
And you can’t blame her. If that’s what it takes to salvage your friendship, that is.
“Ooh, is that the girl from camp that you can’t stop talking about?”
You turn your phone off and put it face down on the table as you look at the source of voice.
“Yes, she’s also the one who invited me to her homecoming–” the person raises an eyebrow at the entendre, “as friends!”
“Mhm, as friends. Whatever helps you sleep at night, my dear”
“Mom!” your mother laughs as she takes your phone from the table, opening the device as she scrolls through your photos with Wanda during the homecoming. “Mom? Privacy, please? My god”
Your mother scoffs as she tears her eyes away from the phone to look at you, thinking for a while before sighing as she gives you the phone back. She mutters under her breath that she bought you the phone anyway and that she should check it once in a while to make sure you’re not talking to any creeps.
You look back at her when you hear that but she just stands her ground. As you both are playing an impromptu staring contest, her eyes mirroring yours soften. She missed spending time with her daughter, missing her openly seeking her and she’s going to soak it up, not knowing when she’ll get this opportunity again.
“How are you, baby?” her hand makes its way above your knee, squeezing the flesh lightly. “You know you can always talk to me”
The sentiment makes you blink away the tears blurring your vision. You thought your mother wouldn't notice, but she does. She always does. So she leans down to take you in her arms as you finally let your tears fall, she mutters assurances as you ride your tears, telling you that she loves you and she’s by your side no matter what.
After a while, the tears subside, leaving you hiccuping every once in a while. Your mother chuckles at that, leaving you for a moment only to come back with a glass of water. She knows to let things happen at your pace, knowing you’ll tell her what’s bothering you.
Taking a deep breath, you do.
“I feel overwhelmed, mom. I-I feel suffocated somehow. I don’t know how to explain it” you open and close your mouth a few times, trying to find the right words but none come up, leaving your mother to make do with your vague words.
She takes a deep breath, takes all the judgemental thoughts away and from her expression as she places a comforting touch on top of your fidgeting hands. “Okay, first things first. Can you tell me where you feel overwhelmed with, sweetheart?”
“There’s this emotion deep inside me that I can’t explain- it’s like it’s just there, consuming me and the next thing I know, I’m spiraling. I don’t- ugh” you run your hands frustratedly through your now disheveled hair when you can’t get the right words out. “I’m sorry for such a being mess, mom”
“Honey” she takes your hands away from your face, rubbing soothing circles on your palm as she waits for you to look at her. “It’s normal to feel like that, baby. You’re a teenager, your body is going through all this changes rapidly and you barely have any time to keep up! You’ll be fine, I’m here”
You nod, letting yourself relax knowing that your mother is with you.
“You can talk to me anytime, baby. I’m here” she says in finality, combing your hair with her free hand as she smiles at the bird’s nest that is your hair. Times like these remind her when you used to do the same when you were younger and things aren’t going your way.
It brings her comfort that some things never change. Her baby is still there.
“Now, are you going to tell me about that homecoming you went to with your camp friend? Because based on the photos you showed me–”
“I didn’t show you, you took my phone without asking for my permission”
“Details” your mother huffs, but a smile stays on her lips. “Anyway, want to tell me about that? You looked like you had fun in there”
Memories of that night flashed through your brain, eliciting a smile on your face. When the memories get to the end, you get reminded of how the night ended, causing the smile on your face to get small. Your mother notices the change in your expression but keeps mum, letting you say your piece.
In the end you tell her everything. You told her how even though you don’t know anyone in there, Wanda stayed by you the entire night to make sure that you were comfortable and that you won’t feel alone amid her outgoing nature. What happened between the two of you after the dance, you couldn’t quite get out. You trail off after telling her what transpired that night, ending it with the dance.
“If you had such a great time then why do you look so glum, sugarplum?”
You huff a laugh at your mother’s wordings, muttering that it’s not that funny, shrugging your shoulders as you refuse to tell her what happened. “I don’t think I’m ready to tell you what happened yet, mom. I’m sorry”
As a mother, being kept in the dark by your child’s doings is one of their greatest fears, not knowing what is happening with their child and only getting bits and pieces from what they see at home. And your mother is no different. She’s itching to prod you for more details, hurting to see you be somber about something, but she has an inkling as to who may be involved.
She nods, respecting your wishes. “Okay… but you have to tell someone at least. You can tell Kate–” you scrunch your face in disgust at her suggestion. Your mother sees it, pinching your side as she chuckles. “I saw that! But your cousin only wants the best for you, remember that”
You nod as you signal the conversation is now over. You mull over your mother’s words as you feel yourself being relaxed by each second that passes. She’s right. You have all the time to figure your life out, that’s what being a teen is.
“Well, while you’re thinking of what to do next, I’m going to go to the kitchen and make ourselves some popcorn, and by the time I get back I’m expecting that you’ve already picked a move that we’ll watch”
You laugh and rest your head back on the couch. You just have to think of a way to finally smooth things over with Wanda.
And to come to a conclusion about these bottled up emotions inside you.
– –
Wanda has a soft spot for going on walks in the park. Reconnecting with nature, the flowers making the park radiant, the air breezing smoothly through her skin and weaving in her hair, the rustle of leaves underneath her shoes– the entire scene itself calms her.
And right now, she’s been spending almost all of her free time in the park. She can close her eyes and almost walk through the entire park successfully if she were to spend her time on it 24/7.
She opens her eyes when the phone in her hand buzzes. On the lockscreen is a message notification from Pietro yet she doesn’t see the content so she won’t be distracted by whatever she’s doing. Yet at the same time, seeing how much time had already passed she decided to check the message.
5:25 pm delivered
Where are you? It’s almost six, I’m sending a search party for you right now.
She rolls her eyes at the message but smiles as she types out a response nonetheless. Her twin brother knows where she’s going when she’s not at home but she thinks that he gave her a heads up that it’s time to go home.
As she’s hitting send, a figure takes a seat next to her on the bench. She’s not about to give the person a bit of her attention, but she sees the sneakers that've been a favorite of a certain someone. Holding her breath, she looks up from the shoes and onto the person.
A faint gasp leaves her lips when she sees the person who she’s been trying so hard to get rid of her confessed feelings about, you.
“Y/N? Wha-what are you doing here?” Wanda unconsciously scoots away from you, feeling overwhelmed at seeing you in her place of calm that she’s at a loss whether to be joyed or have the urge to leave.
You on the other hand saw how she moved away from you, your back sags in disappointment when she does that but it’s not like you can blame her. Instead, you take a deep breath and respect her boundaries.
“I’m sorry”
Wanda’s eyes widen at hearing you say those words. Out of all the times she imagined talking to you after her rejected confession, she never once thought those words to come out of your mouth.
Sure, maybe she thought you would want to keep being friends or worse, stop your friendship but not this.
“What? Y/N, what are you apologizing for? It’s my fault that our friendship–” the brunette starts to ramble, her anxiety getting the best of her. And your heart aches, your heart aches that she thinks that your relationship with her is going to end with her actions.
“No, Wanda. I’m sorry” you gently interrupt her, your hands about to touch hers but you pull your hands away, about to forget the boundaries she set. You see how the brunette noticed your action and see a flicker of emotion in her eyes before she becomes stoic again.
“I’m sorry for the way I reacted when you poured your heart out for me. I’m sorry for causing a rift in our relationship and the truth is, I miss you” never once did your eyes stray away from hers. You want her to know that you’re serious about this, you’re serious about what you want to start with her.
With that, the brunette feels her resolve crumbling, how can she not when you’ve been saying all these things?
You clear your throat, scratching the side of your pointer finger with your thumb to distract you from your nerves. It’s now or never. “You know, my mom and I talked– like really talk and it has come to my attention that I have to make an effort to talk even though it’s not my thing. I have to get better with communicating my feelings especially when it comes to the people I care about and love”
Wanda widens her eyes at that. Could she be one of the people you were referring to?
“Wanda, I… uh, that day when you told me that you like me I was shocked, confused. No one paid me enough attention to get to know me. They usually just look at me then decide that an awkward kid is not one to be friends with, probably because they’re harder to break the ice with so they go for someone they don’t have to pull out of their shell instead”
As you open yourself up to her, like truly laying everything you are, deciding to finally be wholly open for her, the brunette feels her resolve finally breaking. She scoots closer to you, deciding whether to touch you or not, that she settles on hooking her right foot against your left foot.
You stop talking as you notice the olive branch the brunette handed. You look down at your entwined feet, a faint red painting your cheeks at the action.
“S-so I guess what I’m saying is, I like you, Wanda” you finally get the word out of your lips, looking up at her to see her emerald green orbs filling with tears. A frown makes its way on your face when you see her expression. “O-oh no, no, no. Damn it. Wands, no, don’t cry please”
You continue to mutter reassurance at her, your hands finding its way at both sides of her cheeks, wiping the tears that managed to escape from her tear ducts gently with your thumbs.
It’s another minute or two before the brunette calms down and by the time it only leaves her with hiccups, she moves closer to you until your thighs are both touching. She slides herself lower on the bench then turns toward you, burying her face in the side of your neck as an arm drapes itself on your stomach.
“You know we’re both very dramatic people” she utters, her puffs of breath ticking your exposed neck. You feel hot from confessing your feelings to Wanda then the brunette clinging to you like a koala in a public space.
You laugh breathlessly, your palm rubbing her back through her shirt. “Yeah, I actually got it from you”
Wanda abruptly pulls away from her position, making you double track as an apology is ready at the tip of your tongue, but her sly smile makes you sigh in relief. “I cannot believe you just said that!”
You stuck your tongue out, squeaking when a finger tickles your waist. You open your eyes and see the brunette ready to pounce on you so you hold her wrists with all your might. “Okay fine, you win! Just no tickling, please”
The brunette finally relents, sighing as she stands up then turns back to you and offers her hand. You take it, and in a moment of courage, press your lips on her cheek. Wanda moves and you capture the side of her lips, painting both of your lips faint pink.
“Oh you’re sneaky” you say, letting her pull you back to her house, a smile on your lips as she winks at you.
“I’ve got more where that came from”
– –
You want to say that things are going well between you and Wanda. You both make it a point to visit each other as much as your schedules would allow, and right now, you’re glad that she relented to staying at your room, doing nothing.
“Y/N, come on, your bed’s much more comfy than the floor”
“Huh?” you raise your head from her shoulders as she gently nudges you awake. Still delirious from being awoken in your nap, you burrow yourself further to the warmth beside you.
Wanda rolls her eyes at your actions, yet she feels her heart skip a beat at how openly you seek her touch. Ever since that day at the park, you and Wanda decided to keep things between you slowly, testing the waters before you put a label on what you have.
“Your bed’s much more comfy than my shoulder” she gently pries your head off her shoulder and scoots away from you, her heart aching in the best way at the petulant pout that forms in your lips, disgruntled at being forced to move from your comfortable position.
Still, the brunette manages to lay you on the bed… even though you made it difficult for her as you are adamant at staying on the floor. As Wanda moves away to clean the array of snacks you left on the floor from watching the television, you swiftly move your arms to encircle her waist, bringing her down on top of you.
Wanda huffs at the force you release, her head almost hitting your chest but she quickly tilts her head up a bit so that it ends up at the side of your neck. Heat rises on her face, faint pink covering her cheeks.
“Ooof”
You only tighten your hold on her, resembling a koala hugging a tree as you inhale her scent, finding your sleep once again at the warmth and security she brings. “Gonna sleep now, you should too”
At the words you whisper, Wanda tilts her head to look at your face. She loves that you’ve come to trust her enough to let her see this side of you, and she hopes that she gets to stay and be with you for a long time.
She presses her lips on the exposed skin of your collarbone, muttering a ‘sleep tight’ under her breath as she succumbs to sleep.
Years later, you both graduated college in the same school under different programs, it never fails to amaze you that the brunette loved you anyway amid your quirks and flaws. She told you time and time again (which she never gets tired of) that you’re the love of her life, and your quirks and flaws make you perfect in her eyes.