Soon.
unknown location,
unknown timeline.
Cold fingertips touch her chin. She groans, her head burning, as it’s lifted up. She slowly blinks, as her brows creased, at her blurry vision. She sees doubles as she looks at them. While grunting, she shook her head out of their grasp.
Suddenly the hand comes back, but much heavier and rougher, as it grips her chin, pulling her closer, making sure she could see.
She clenches her jaw, opening her eyes widely.
Staring at their his face and all she could see was pure evil. With his bright blue eyes drowning her in his deep ocean, and his wild crooked teeth that in her mind seems to be fangs, so sharp that it could kill her with a simple graze.
He stares back at her like he's a wild dog and she was his prey.
He smiled, and she wanted to throw up.
"You lose."
•
"When was the last time you rested?"
Wanda dragged her finger down the side of her neck, her nail scratching against her skin, her brows furrowed. The question shouldn't be as tough as it was. Last time she slept? All she remembers is lying in bed, the feeling someone (or people) breathing beside her. Did she ever close her eyes? Did her body relax?
"I don't know."
Her therapist didn't say anything, just stared, silently, waiting for Wanda. The ginger bit her tongue, shaking her head. She knows she had a couple of blackouts that doesn't last long.
She can call those naps.
"I take small breaks," Wanda said, running her hand down her face, trying to somehow wipe the tiredness away. Wanda frowns, as she stammered out, "maybe a hour or so?"
10 minutes max.
Her body wakes her up, before she could even get to 12. She could lose so much (so many people) in those minutes, but she couldn't control her body enough to keep herself up.
A stinging sensation ran through her nerves, she quickly pulled her hand back from her neck. She slowly lifted her hand to her face, her brows furrowed, as a red liquid trickle down her finger, she had peeled her skin once again... it was her fifth this month.
"Wanda..."
Her sight moved to the doctor, she was an older woman. Grey hair laying in a bun on the top of her head, faint wrinkles against her caramel skin. Her hazel eyes watched the ginger closely, her lips drawn in a tight line.
Her therapist took a breath, before expending the box of tissues towards Wanda. Maximoff pulled out a loose piece, and without an a word, placed the tissue against her neck.
They both don't say anything, as her blood soaked the thin paper.
"you never told me, what happened with them?" She asked, or told her, which ever fits. Wanda wiped down her neck, before pulling the tissue away, she wetted her lips, then shook her head, "So much happened, I... I don't know where to start."
The other woman nodded, her legs crossing, "Start where you feel most comfortable."
Comfortable? None of it was comfortable, just thinking about it made her sick. She balled the tissue in her palm, "can I... start from the beginning?"
The therapist bobbed her head, and says, "if you want to."
The doctor wants Wanda to believe she has a choice in this matter, but in reality she doesn't. Wanda wasn't no fool, she speaks or she doesn't, either way, it will eventually get out. Although it would be better to hear it from the horse's mouth, right?
The ginger sighed, the bloody tissue twisting between her fingers, "It started when my wife called."
•
New York City,
April, 2018.
Whoever said Monday was the worst day of the week lied.
Tuesdays are the most horrible day of the week, especially this one. She had started off her day with one bratty mouth son who didn't want to get out of bed in the morning, and another who actually woke her up.
She had barely got Tommy and Billy out the door before eight. She had given them a kiss to their foreheads, rushing them off to their bus. Then she had 30 minutes to get to work, so she had to run out of the door before 8:24.
"Good morning, Doctor Maximoff."
The receptionist greeted, handing over her chart. She nodded her head, with a smile, accepting the board. She had gotten there before the clock had even thought about hitting 8:30.
She glanced down, Tuesday is like rush hour for her shift, it's mostly teenagers who do some idiotic things for fun, the amount of times she had to get a straw out of a kid's nose is unbelievable.
All of that comes at noon, so thankfully she had four hours to spare, she bites her bottom lip, seeing what patients she needed to check up on.
"You look wonderful today, Doctor."
The most irritating voice shot through her ears. She closed her eyes, she does not want to deal with him this early. She smiled, as politely as she could, but she thinks it looks as fake as she felt.
"Thank you but I'm still married, Doctor Banner," She rejected, already knowing the next words that was going to come out of his mouth. He would ask her out for dinner, and she would have to, blatantly, tell him no again.
She lowered her head to her board, as she walked away, she guessed he didn't catch on to her ending the conversation, as he followed her, "I've never seen your husband before."
She sighed, then replied with, "Wife and as I told you once before, she's in the military." His brows rose, as he forged realization onto his face, "Right... She's in her seventeenth year?"
She bite her lip, harshly, as her steps got quickly, "Yes, Doctor Banner."
The brown haired man sighed, and she knew what was coming next, "You know you don't have to—,"
A blonde walked up, and spoke, before he could finish his idiotic sentence, "Doctor Banner, you are needed in room 633." His brows furrowed, and he looks at the nurse with confusion. The blonde sighed, waving him forward.
"Now."
He swallowed, and nodded his head.
He turned towards her, placing his hand on her shoulder, oh god. "See you later, doctor."
Hopefully not.
The doctor lets out a breath, as he stormed away, "Thank you, Yel."
The nurse rolled her eyes, before glancing towards the hall, Bruce hurried down, "I still don't see why you haven't reported him to HR yet."
"He's a good doctor."
The shorter one scoffed, and muttered, "Not that good of one."
"Yelena..."
She waved the other woman off, shaking her head, "Don't Yelena me, I don't see why you don't just flip out your wedding photos and prove it to that ass."
She pulled them to a stop, grabbing Yelena's arm, causing the blonde to turn to her, "Because it's not his business, Belova, I don't care if him, or anyone else, believe me or not," She said, firmly.
Yelena's shoulders slumped, as she nodded, giving up for now. "Sure, I think it gives you an ego boost having those men around you," The shorter blonde said, raising her brows.
The doctor shook her head, and deadpans, "Yeah, you caught me, Lena, I love having men harass me every ten seconds."
Yelena smiles, "See boosting your ego."
She rolled her eyes.
•
"Good morning, Barnes, are you feeling better today?" She asked, as walked into her patient's room, quietly closing the door behind her.
The man's eyes widened, and he smiled, brightly, "Amazing now that's your here."
James Barnes was a sweet man, less insisting than Bruce. He was a military man who got badly injured on a mission, causing him to lose his arm. She moved forward, placing her board on the table.
He watched her closely, as she pressed the stethoscope against his chest, he smiled, charming as most girls would say.
"So when you're going to let me take you out on a date, Doctor Maximoff?" James asked, sweetly, and she shook her head.
She smiled, "I'm flattered truly, Bucky, but I don't know how many times today I have to say I'm married."
His brows rose, "you're married?"
"Yeah, you know she's in the marine corps just like you," She said, backing away, and taking the stethoscope from her ears, the brown haired man frowned, so she continued, "I think you two are actually in the same base."
Almost immediately his eyes shot open so wide that she thought they might pop out his socket, the redhead frowned.
"You're married to The Wanda Maximoff?"
Natasha nodded her head, the man's face begins to turn into a crimson.
"Please don't tell her I was flirting with you! I know she'll make it hell for me when I'm back on the base," James pleaded, Natasha would've laughed, if she didn't see the pure fear in the marine's eyes. She placed her hand on the shoulder, that wasn't wrapped in bandages, trying to get him to relax, as she nodded her head.
"I think you'll be alright, Bucky, both of you aren’t coming home anytime soon."
His shoulders slumped, as he hummed, relaxing a bit, although he didn't say a single word to her for the rest of the checkup.
She leaves the room, with him offering her an awkward smile, and not a compliment like he usually does, causing her to shake her head.
What does Wanda do that scares him this much?
Her brows furrowed, as her pocket began to vibrate. She tilted her head, pulling her phone out of it. She was getting a call, from a military number.
Speaking of the devil, Natasha smiled, glancing down the hall, making sure it was empty, before answering the call, and pressing the phone against her ear, "Hello, lovely woman of mines," her wife immediately greeted, causing the blonde's smile to widen.
"Hello, Wanda."
"How's everything down there?" Natasha asked.
"Uh... things are getting better, there's a lot going on but I think we're all going to be alright," Wanda answered truthfully, but the redhead could hear the hesitation in her voice, so she changed the topic, trying to make her wife more comfortable.
The doctor chuckled, slightly, the conversation with James coming to her mind. She placed her arm underneath the other, as she pressed the phone closer to her ear, "I hear that you put fear in everybody on base."
Wanda hummed, the doctor hears movement in the background, and a soft grunt, so she guessed the brunette was laying down, "Rightfully so, I gotta keep up with this tough girl act somehow, since at home you got me as soft as a kitten," Wanda responded, playfully, after a moment.
Natasha rolled her eyes, smiling, "I got you soft, huh?"
"Of course, you do, you and your adorable kids are what keeps me human," Wanda stated, and Natasha could imagine her face, the way the corner of her eyes would crinkle, as she smiled widely, with a carefree look.
Her smile faltered.
Natasha wished she could see it. And not just remember the look, and hope it was the same but to actually see it right in front of her face.
She knew what Wanda would do, she knows how she would touch her as she said it. How she would grab her waist, and would kiss her lips, her cheeks, and her nose. The brunette would have probably buried her face into her neck, and Natasha would be able to feel her laughter vibrating off of her.
God, her heart aches, knowing the brunette was so far away. She lowered her hand to her stomach, closing her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Wanda asked, she almost smiled hearing the concern in her voice.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Natasha bites her bottom lip, leaning against the wall. She knew the brunette didn't believe her, as Wanda sighed.
"Nat..."
Her tone was so soft and gentle, it’s what breaks Natasha. The redhead sniffed, as a tear slipped from her eyes, "I miss you, malysh."
"I miss you too," Wanda said, softly.
Natasha clenched her jaw, tilting her head upwards, "You know some of my workers don't believe you're real?" The redhead said, the other line was silent. Natasha laughed, bitterly, wiping underneath her nose, "they say that I'm crazy and I'm just making you up to at least have someone to fill my cold heart."
"I'm sorry, Nat—,"
"When are you coming home?" Natasha interrupted her, shaking her head, not wanting to sit through an apology she knew so well. Every time she said it, Natasha would cry so hard that she didn't have the energy to move. And she can't do that, especially not here.
"Soon, baby, I promise."
Natasha shook her head, soon, soon, soon.
"How soon, Wanda? You've been saying that for the past four years, I love you, I really do but I can't just..." Natasha cuts herself off, lowering her head.
"You can't what, Nat?"
Can't handle this? Too tired of the constant crying? Of waiting? The redhead swallowed, she has been doing this for a while so Natasha can't what?
Natasha opened her glassy eyes, sighing, "The kids miss you," She answered, instead, wetting her lips, remembering the nights of the boys begging for her, "they want you home, I want you home."
She hears the brunette sigh, "And you'll get me home but you just have to wait," Wanda spoke, softly.
"Wait, yeah," Natasha said, dryly.
"Natalia..."
The blonde shook her head, "Someone's calling me I gotta go," Natasha lied, quickly.
The marine lets out a hum, Natasha knew Wanda caught her lie, she was never quite good at it, even the simplest ones. The brunette lets her off the hook though. "I love you, detka."
"I love you too," She said, before pulling away, and hanging up the phone. She stares at the screen, with her jaw clenched.
Fuck the military.
No one dared to look her in the eyes, as she struts down the hallway, they could feel her anger and annoyance radiating from across the room.
Tuesdays are the worst.
•
Wanda sighed, hearing the other line go dead, she wetted her lips, her brows furrowing, she could feel the redhead's anger through the phone.
She lifts herself up from the stretcher, moving across it to sit on the side.
Natasha was upset and she had every right to be.
she glanced towards a photo laying on the table next to her, it was exactly like the one she kept protected in her pocket.
They were at a park, Natasha was sitting on the grass, with Wanda's head in her lap, her fingers tangled in the brunette's curls. She had a gorgeous, wide smile that matched their twins so much.
Her eyes moved downwards, they were probably five or six years old, with dirty blonde hair, green eyes sparkling in the sun, they had chocolate smudge across their faces and hands, their noses were scrunched. She smiles, softly, remembering the sounds of their laughter, the way their bodies fell against the ground right after the photo was taken, how the rolled in it, covering themselves in dirty.
She stared with sadness in her eyes, she missed them like hell.
"The family?"
A voice asked, Wanda raised her head, eyes immediately connecting with a familiar raven, who looked at her, with a slight smile.
Wanda nodded her head, softly.
"Yeah, I just got off with Natasha," Wanda told her, pushing her hands against her knees, the raven smirked, sitting beside her.
"She misses me, doesn't she?" Agatha asked, jokingly, arching her brow, the marine chuckled, shaking her head, "Yeah, she couldn't stop talking about you, Agnes," Wanda played along.
She fell back against Wanda's mat, grinning, causing the other woman to roll her eyes.
"I knew she loved me."
"Yep," she lets out, following Agatha's movement, as she laid back against the bed, her legs dangling off of the edge.
Natasha doesn't know how badly Wanda wants to leave, how she tries so hard to get to that point. How she regrets not leaving when everyone else told, no, begged her to. Wanda wants to hold her children, to kiss her wife again, she wants to make up for the time she's lost after so many years of being separated but she can't, not right now, at least.
And this time it's not her fault.
Agatha turned her head towards the brunette, her eyes studying her face, watching as her frown grew deeper. The marine sighed, knocking her knee into Wanda's, the married woman raised her head, "Stop worrying, Wanda, you'll be home soon."
Wanda touched her side, her thumb caressing a faint memory of why she's still here, the mother closed her eyes, breathing in, deeply, barely believing her friend's words, as she nodded gently.
"Yeah, soon."