Once Y/N is gone, I head out to help Nat in the kitchen cooking dinner for everyone. It's quiet, the silence heavily weighing in the air. If someone took a knife and just waved it in the air, you'd still hear a slicing sound of cutting tension. We both know what's going to happen.

We both love her.

I try to focus on cooking, then head to the cupboards to gather plates for everyone. The room is still quiet but to me it's loud as hell. It takes everything in me not to look inside Nat's head. By the time everything is set, I sit at the counter with a glass of water while Natasha finishes up her cooking. She comes to sit next to me, both of us now sitting in awkward silence while we sip water, staring at our hands.

Natasha is the first one to break the silence.

"You know she's going to have to pick."

There it is.

Pursing my lips together, I nod while taking another sip, "I know."

It goes silent again until Natasha stands up, grabbing wine glasses and filling them with Pinot Grigio. She slides it over to me while taking her previous seat back. I smile appreciatively, staring at the glass, studying it to occupy my brain until she speaks again.

"You love her?"

My heart stammers but I try to conceal it, sighing before I lift the glass, taking a swig of it. I click my tongue and slowly nod as I glide a finger along the top of the glass.

"Yep." I drag the "p" out with a popping sound, then carry my gaze until it reaches her. She's staring at me with furrowed eyebrows, not of anger or confusion, but of understanding.

"You?" I ask.

She just smiles in a small manner, so that it doesn't reach her eyes. She averts her eyes to the window, sipping on her wine as she whispers out,

"Yeah."

I figure now's the time I should say something more than one or two words. It's only fair. Plus, I don't want this to get in between us, no matter who Y/N chooses.

"Well...if she chooses you, then I'll be happy for you. The both of you."

Raising an eyebrow in what looks like surprise, she observes me as if waiting to see me laugh or for me to say I am joking, but I just shrug back with a soft grin.

Nat smiles now and places her hand atop mine, making eye contact as she lifts her wine glass.

"And if she chooses you, I'll be happy for you. Probably be a little petty, but still happy for the both of you."

A giggle escapes my lips as we clink our glasses, downing the rest of our drinks before the team joins us for dinner.

I'm finally back in my room, searching through my drawers for my t-shirts so I can head to bed. But I can't find any.

"What the hell?" I keep searching until someone knocks on the door.

I use my powers to open it and in walks Wanda.

"Everything alright in here? Looks like a tornado came through."

Groaning, I frantically look for anything and sigh, laying down on my bed flat in exhaustion.

"I can't find any of my t-shirts."

It goes silent and when I look up, Wanda's gone.

"What the hell Red Eyes! I'm in crisis mode over here!"

When she returns, she has a pile of folded t-shirts, a sheepish smile on her lips while her cheeks go red.

"I um...I took them when you were gone...they smelled like you so they um helped me sleep."

Something swells in me and my palms grow sweaty. I imagine her in my clothing, waking up with her in my arms wearing one of my t-shirts, early mornings, late nights. Then I imagine her sitting alone in my shirts, crying, going through the events of the days without me. I know she felt pain, I know she worried, I know she was filled with fear.

Wanda places the pile of shirts in my dresser, tossing me one before she shuts the drawer, then makes her way over to my bed while I change into shorts and my tee. Feeling eyes on me as I strip, I chuckle.

"You know I can feel your eyes, right?"

Tossing a wink over my shoulders, I see her flush and look down at her hands.

"Sorry."

"No, don't worry about it. I don't blame you." I smile cockily as I head back over to the bed in pajamas now. Her forest-like eyes roll but her face says she's amused by my jokes.

"You know, this room doesn't smell like my usual women's cologne." I lift an eyebrow, already knowing her response before she says it. It smells like Wanda in here, which means that,

"I may have slept in here a few times..."

Yeah now that's adorable.

"You really missed me, huh Red Eyes?"

She stares at the floor, then lifts her head to turn and meet my eyes. Her beautiful eyes. It feels like I haven't seen them in forever. It's refreshing seeing them again, up close. I get a flash of the last time we were this close, my hand on her cheek until I started to crush her skull. I can remember the agonizing screams she released as I hurt her.

"Are you alright?"

Her soft hand cups my face, the warming contact pulling me back to the present time. I shake off the memory and smile weakly, nodding at her.

"Yeah just...I'm sorry for hurting you Wanda. Truly, I am sorry. I would never in a million years hurt you, it was Hydra and I know I still technically did it but-" "Y/N, it's okay. I know it wasn't you."

Her screams are still echoing in my head, the way her eyes were wide with fear and hurt, betrayal. She was terrified of me at that moment, something I never want her to be of me.

"Still...I remember how you looked, I was there, I may not have been in control but I was forced to watch while I almost killed you. And I...I never want to be the person to cause you pain." My voice falters the longer I talk, breaking apart with my emotions spilling.

Soft fingers rest beneath my chin, lifting my face and turning it to her as her hand slides to caress my cheek, holding my head in her hand. I missed this feeling, I missed feeling her actually touching me, the feeling of her skin against mine, the feeling of warmth and safety beneath her touch.

Everything about this woman is so intoxicating. She was the only thing I held onto, the only thing that had kept me as me for as long as I could.

"Y/N." Her accent wraps around my name heavily and with a sweet taste to it.

Her voice knocks me out of my thoughts and I am pulled back into the moment, now noticing how her breath is hitting my lips, our faces mere millimeters apart. She smells of vanilla and sage all at once, warm and sweet with a small kick to it. My eyes alternate from hers to her lips.

I take this moment and run with it, closing the gap myself until our lips press together. I can feel my eyebrows pull tightly towards one another as the feeling shocks through my every nerve, as if I am finally coming up for air, finally being resurrected.

When the short but powerful kiss ends, she just smiles up at me through her eyelashes. Something in me feels pulled towards her, like my body just needs to be closer to Wanda. I pull her back towards me, reconnecting our lips. This time less hesitant and soft.

This time, with need.

Her breath hitches at the more aggressive kiss than our previous ones. My hands grab the sides of her face, not pulling away for a moment. I feel her hands snake up my arms until they wrap around my neck, pulling me even closer to her. I follow her lead, her body slowly falling on the bed until she's laying down and I'm on top of her.

Our lips are moving in unison, her tongue pushing its way into my mouth with determination. She grabs my hair in her hand, tugging slightly at it while I push my tongue against hers, fighting for dominance. We keep going like this, the back and forth, bodies pressed up against each other, my hands moving down from her cheeks to her sides.

We pull away to catch our breath and that is when I get a good look at her state. Her cheeks are flushed, she's breathing hard, eyes bright but also dark all at once. She bites down on her lip, hiding a smile before she brushes my hair behind my ear with her fingers.

"Does that answer your question from earlier?"

For a second I don't know what she's talking about, but then I remember. I questioned her missing me. I could nod, accepting that little session as a response...but I'm not that nice.

"I don't know...that could've meant anything. Could've meant that you hate me, could've meant that you're just bored, could've meant that-" "Oh shut up." She grabs my face and kisses me again, this time with her being more forceful. I smile into her lips before she pulls away and matches the grin herself.

"Yes, I really missed you Y/N Stark."

__

A/N:

Well :D