Chaos (Sequel to Agony)

Chapter 58

||"First comes day...then comes night. The darkness slowly devours the light."||

Though they'd spent an hour talking with Jean and the Professor, they eventually did head into the Danger Room to practice one last time.

Jean held nothing back, and for two long hours, Wanda was firing hexes at robots and sliding around the steel floor dodging blasts and shielding off incoming rays.

It was exhilarating.

But when they were done, she felt a loss for something, like the idea of not coming back meant that she would never see Jean or the Professor again.

It was an odd feeling, but she shook it off, trying not to think about it.

But she still said her goodbyes to the people who believed in her even when she doubted herself.

She said goodbye to her teachers—Jean and Professor Charles Xavier.

How lovely it had been to work with them—an honor.

"Take care of yourself, Wanda, and listen to what your magic tells you. It knows more than you think, and you'd be surprised to know that it's there to protect you, not hurt you," Jean had said, and Wanda took her words and kept them close.

"Thank you for everything you've done. I know it hasn't been easy," Wanda had told her in response, giving her a quick hug.

Though the Professor wasn't there to wave them off, she'd heard him in her thoughts after they'd driven away.

Fear not what you are, Wanda Maximoff. You are magic, and you always will be

And that was it.

It was late, almost midnight, but Steve and the others were in the lab talking when Wanda knocked on Nik's door. Thankfully, he was still awake.

He was laying down on his bed, reading articles on his tablet.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, sitting down next to him. He sat up, putting the tablet down and giving her his full attention. It was hard to keep herself from reaching out to brush his curls out of his eyes, so she did it anyway, and he smiled warmly, closing his eyes until she finished. "Have you thought about what I said earlier?"

Nik's shoulders slumped a bit, and she knew he had.

After they'd returned from the school, she had talked to him about going back to Sokovia. She didn't want him stuck underground with them, it wasn't fair to him. He had come to New York to help her with her training, which he had done, but now she wasn't going to be able to do much except hide with her team and wait things out.

Nik didn't belong there with them. He deserved to go back home and continue with his life.

"If it's what you want, then that is what I'll do."

"Nik," she shook her head, grabbing his hands. He felt so warm against her cool skin, and she even felt him shiver against her touch. "It's not what I want, it's what you want. Don't worry about me or what I feel; you can make your own decisions, and that's how you should look at it. It's your choice whether or not you stay with us, through all of this, but there are going to be risks and there will always be risks. It was different in Sokovia. No one knew me, and I wasn't needed or depended on. I was broken, yes, and I was hurting and I was changing, but it wasn't like it is here. There weren't bad people in Sokovia. It was safe there."

Wanda didn't mean to start crying, but she did.

Nik was so different from anyone she had ever met. He was pure and kind and loving and completely understanding. He loved life so much, and he loved people and animals and the earth. He didn't take anything for granted, and that's why she needed him to think hard and long about staying because there was no way she'd ever be able to forgive herself if something happened to him.