Chaos (Sequel to Agony)

Chapter 24

||"You deserve to be happy—no matter what you think or what you did. You deserve to be happy."||

Her new room was larger than she had expected, but she was already thinking of ways in which to decorate the plain walls.

There was a large bed, covered in a thick comforter and scattered with pillows. An empty bookshelf sat to her left; directly in front of her, was a wooden drawer, topped with a large tv. And beside her, was a little desk, awaiting decoration.

As of right now, it was simple, but she liked it, despite that.

Wanda ran her hands over the comforter of her new bed, pushing down to feel it's softness. She then sauntered over the the empty bookshelf, clasping her hand around the beam that held the shelves in place. It occurred to her that she hadn't brought any books that she had back at the tower, so she'd have to find another use for the shelf.

A checklist began developing in her head of things she wanted to fill her room with—paintings, notebooks, flowers, etc. If this were truly going to be her new home, she wanted to make it feel like home.

She dug through one of her bags, sifting through the mess until her fingers touched something familiar. The framed photo was still stained with flecks of stone and debris, but the actual photo—the one of her family—was untouched.

The photo was taken a few weeks before the bombings, and it showed her and Pietro, still young, still innocent. Her parents were smiling down at them, watching as the twins goofed off with each other. It was a time when she believed terrible things only happened to terrible people—but she had been wrong.

Wanda placed the photo on the middle shelf, and she ran her finger across the glass, smiling at her parents. "I won't let you down," she whispered to them, as if they could hear.

Once she was settled in, she'd changed into a light sweater and running shorts. The closet in her room was full of training gear, some of which she'd seen Natasha wear, and she decided that she'd go for a run—maybe even hit the training room after.

Wanda strolled out of her new bedroom, raising her head up just in time to stop herself from running into someone. Her heart thumped against her chest, and she gave out an embarrassed laugh. The stranger smiled at her for a second before letting his expression fall. He knew who she was, and Wanda began to turn away in defeat when he spoke up.

"Hi," he said, and she hesitantly turned back to him. "It really is you," he said, astounded. "The Scarlet Witch."

Wanda flinched at the name.

"I'm Cas Rodriguez—an agent in training."

Wanda gave him a smile, lending out her hand to greet him. "It's nice to meet you," she said, and he glowed as his smile took over, shaking her hand delicately. His skin felt calloused, no doubt tainted from all of the weapons he'd held and faces he'd punched. Wanda's eyes raked up from his hand, up his arm and finally up to his face. 

His skin was a beautiful hue of bronze, and the dark clothes he wore brought out the richness of his honey eyes. His lashes were thick and long; jet black like his fluffy hair. When he shifted in place, his head bobbed, and he smiled once again. The smile accented his face perfectly, finalizing the beautiful being that he was. 

"Wow...sorry, I really don't mean to sound weird or anything, but...you're a big deal around here. You and Pietro," he paused, and something gleamed in his eyes. "Did uh...did he come too?"

"Yes," Wanda said, peeling the rubber-band off of her wrist and tying up her hair. The windows in the hall were blurred, but she could still see the sun high above, casting enough light for her to take a quick run. "You said your an agent in training?" she asked, moving over to start her way down the hall. He nodded his head and she swept away the fallen strands of her hair. "Then I think I'll be seeing you around a lot more."