#shut UP she's so fuckin cuuuuute

[guardian-angle22]

911 Lone Star | Grace Ryder in 4.05 Human Resources

[holiday-house-of-m]

Maaaaaaate!

I read it!

This was great!

["You won't know a thing about stocks but you'll knew what he did Spring Break '09."] - Bestie, bestie, bestie... A typo in the first paragraph...? Smh...

[you feel a sharp sting against the top of your had.] - *sighs...*

But fr, them sharing donuts in the car together is cute

[well then that'll cut into production costs to make more and," A sweet pastry slams into your mouth] - Pffft, I was wondering how far R was gonna go with that. I'm glad Wanda shut them up 😂

["I want to sleep on the flight. Not in the car, Y/N."] - Lol

["I didn't have to make you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, did I?"] - This is so cute. And it's cute that Wanda doesn't realise just how rich R is. Even if they do start going on about the profit of a donut shop they don't really own haha

[A childlike excitement and a realization in yourself of how much you'd taken for granted for so long.] - I quoted this for some reason, I don't really remember what I was gonna say... Cute!

[A message had been sent to your suite from seat 3A. Wanda's seat] - CUTE!

[You lift up your foot that was hidden beneath your extra blanket and wiggle your slipper, covered foot. Wanda gasps at the sigh,] - Mate, this is cute (I stopped the quote specifically here for you)

[you know I'm comfortable."] - That's what really rich people say...

[can you buy a baker's dozen of nice cars or a baker's dozen of islands?"] - That's one way of asking haha

They finally got the warm towels!

["And you only got me a week in Greece for my birthday?"] - lol

[the last thing you need is more gossip in your aunt's ears.] - Fuckin' aunties man... 🙄

["Hey, it's just me. Not your family. You know you can be honest with me."] - Mate, these bitches are so oblivious... Just get together and kiss for real already 😂

The eye contact! oof!

["Making sure you get to live your dreams,"] - Kiss!

The peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

*it's happy crying though*

[We'll make a fancy woman out of you yet."

...

"And we'll make you a commoner yet."] - Cuuuute!

[Wanda was shaking you awake softly] - She definitely watched R sleep for a while hahaha

Man, I love this story...

[her lips pressing against yours] - YEEEESSSSS

Have you seen a movie called "Crazy Rich Asians" because those are the vibes I'm getting... Especially with this wedding part...

[Some part of her keeps a hold of you throughout the evening.] - Just.get.married.already.

[If the aunts dragged her away again, she needed to make sure you were okay.] - She's freakin' awesome

[But to take Wanda’s name and throw it in the mud, you couldn’t stand by a second longer.] - Let's go R! Punch him in the face, kick him in the balls and be done with it!

[“Enough! I have lived my life listening to your constant denigration! But you will not speak that way to Wanda. Do you understand me?”] - Oh damn... I got goosebumps

Shit man, R is going off

[sliding something on with a heavy weight.] - Sneaky Wanda...

Oh, this isn't gonna go well...

[“Just don’t let go of me,”

...

“I’ve got you.”] - 🥺

I'm so invested in this, it's not a joke...

[“You! I want you, you absolute fucking idiot! I’m in love with you!”] - THERE IT IIIIIIS!

[The world, in this sweet and quiet moment, only held the two of you.] - Ooh I like this line

[“We brought alcohol- oh shit!”

“I told you! I fucking knew it!”] - Aaaand the moment got ruined...

[“Why the fuck is she here?”] - I thought it was Bucky and Steve 😂

[Wanda smiles at your laugh as you lean forward to seal your promise together once and for all.] - CUUUUUTE!

OH MAN, I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!

Everything about this story was great!

I wasn't supposed to do my commentary because I just wanted to read it but I couldn't help myself lol

The Family Wedding

Summary: It was finally the day you had been dreading of ever since you first asked Wanda to be your date in her diner. You knew you couldn't get her to quit you but you knew that you had to quit, one way or another.

Pairing: Wanda x Reader

Genre/Warnings: Fluff (minor cussing, alcohol consumption, rich people)

Word Count: 9.1k

A/N: Another month and another finished series. The fourth and final part of The Family Christmas. This one went much, much longer than I was ever going to take this type of trope and I'm so glad that I did. The chapter word count also went longer than I thought but I hope y'all enjoy it! Happy Reading!

*please do not repost or translate my material or claim as yours. reblogs, comments and likes are always appreciated!*

________________________________

"No, no. Listen to me, never ever, let Bucky do a presentation alone," you wipe the side of your mouth with your hand, "You won't know a thing about stocks but you'll knew what he did Spring Break '09."

Wanda laughs, "In '09? Wasn't he a freshman in high school?"

You glance over at Wanda with a cock of your brow. She hums out as she props the lid of the box in her lap up, "Of course. He probably had a fake ID when he was born,"

Reaching over as you slow the car at the stoplight, you feel a sharp sting against the top of your had. You retract your arm quickly, glancing over from where the hit came from. Green eyes stare at you, wondering why you're staring at her with such shock on your face.

"Did you just slap me?"

Wanda gives a slow nod, picking up the donut you were reaching for, "I wanted that one."

Scoffing, you tap your chin with a thoughtful stare, "Who bought you those donuts?"

"Please. You could buy that whole company and get us donuts for free if you weren't lazy."

You roll your eyes, "Well, the donut wouldn't really be free. You know we've got to have profits and if I'm taking donuts, well then that'll cut into production costs to make more and," A sweet pastry slams into your mouth as you're about to start spewing numbers, frosting pressing up towards your nose. You gag slightly as you inhale a sprinkle, tasting the sweet chocolate as you try to not serve the car, coughing and chewing.

"I want to sleep on the flight. Not in the car, Y/N." Wanda glances at you as you try to quench the dryness inside of your mouth, finally getting the donut down after a few gulps.

Gasping out as you swish the thick chocolate frosting off your teeth with the water, you start to make the final curves to the airport, "You'll miss out on the meals."

Wanda chuckles, "Meals? What, a microwaved dinner and a bag of peanuts thrown at my face?"

You glance over at her, smirking slightly as she starts to put donuts in a bag to stuff in her backpack. She stops and looks at you, "Oh wait, allergies. They give out that snack mix now, huh? Fancy."

Chuckling to yourself, you tap the tickets in between the both of you, "I forgot, we're not flying economy, Wands."

Her eyes spark as you start to eye the signs to figure out where you're supposed to pull off, "Premium economy? Oh my god, should I bring my blanket? Will they give me a blanket? Do we get those warm face towels?"

You slow the car, starting to gather all of your stuff, "Business class gets the face towels."

Stepping out quickly, you practically jog around the car to help Wanda with her door. Trying to politely shove the valet out of the way as he reaches for the door. You make eye contact with him and watch him retreat away and head to the trunk, Wanda still rambling on and unaware of where you've parked.

"Oh, I just hope I can recline my seat a bit. I hate sitting straight up, y'know? Do we get a different shuttle here, too? Do they have face towels?"

You grin at her obsession with warm face towels as you toss your keys towards the valet with open hands and start to walk towards the entrance. But a hand grips yours and you turn around slowly, green eyes cautiously looking around at the front of the airport.

"Our bags?"

"They'll get them, don't worry," you say, "Thank you," you slide your hand from Wanda's as you give the valet a shake with some cash in your palm.

You take your bag from his hands as the other helps put Wanda's backpack up on her shoulders. Wanda whispers an embarrassed thank you as she tries to figure out where her suitcase is going. You wait for her to remember that the money you have isn't all talk and that you aren't the torn short and gym short wearing sloucher like you are with just her.

You're somewhere others might see you and recognize you. The last thing you need is your mother finding out you wore jeans on a flight. The scandal that could cause.

Wanda grabs your jacket and you turn to her, both of you standing close as you lean over slightly at her impatient yank, "I didn't have to make you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, did I?"

You grin, "I am really excited about those actually," sliding your hand from the side pocket of your bag, you hold out her passport, "I got you pre-check, too. You're welcome."

She smacks your arm, "You stole my passport?!" Letting out a huff, she can't help the small grin on her face when she sees the laughter you hold in, "You better worship my sandwiches."

"Like a five star meal. Come on, we'll be late."

________________________________

You let out a sigh, scrolling through another endless email as you lounge in your seat. It's reclined, practically horizontal as you feel your eyes starting to fall as you read over the same sentence you've been reading all flight.

Wanda had been bursting with excitement when she saw the individual seats each person got up here. She had played with the divider between the two of you, a different face each time she closed and opened it. Trying to get you to laugh and not worry about what you were flying into and the crests that were packed in her suitcase.

Glancing over at her, Wanda's sitting upright. Her legs crossed in her seat as she swipes through all of the hours of entertainment on her suite's device. She stole your complimentary blanket and she's cuddled beneath it with hers. You take a sip of your drink, still seeing the same glow in her eyes that she had when she saw the bag of goodies waiting on her seat.

A childlike excitement and a realization in yourself of how much you'd taken for granted for so long.

Something flashes on your screen and you glance up with a chuckle. A message had been sent to your suite from seat 3A. Wanda's seat,

Hi.

You turn your head to look at her properly now, raising your brows as you slip off your headphones and rest them on your neck.

"Have you tried the lotion? My hands are so soft now," she grabs your hand and shares the extra lotion she has smeared on her skin. You hum, rubbing your hands together but trying to rub away the jolt of energy her touch sent through you, "Did you see the pajamas they gave us? And this cute little tea mug?"

You chuckle at the rise in pitch of her voice as she holds up the mug. She didn't mention your favorite little amenity of sitting up here. You lift up your foot that was hidden beneath your extra blanket and wiggle your slipper, covered foot. Wanda gasps at the sigh, searching through her stuff until she finds her own slippers.

"You know, after all this time, you've never told me just how rich you are."

You look up from your laptop with a thoughtful hum, "Well I mean, you know I'm comfortable."

"No shit," she scoffs as she glances to her left and sees the tray of warm towels waiting for her to pluck one from, "But like, can you buy a baker's dozen of nice cars or a baker's dozen of islands?"

Glancing at her as you press the warm towel against your face and groan at the relief, "Islands with a house to put each of those cars in."

Wanda was in the middle of taking a drink of her mimosa as you hear her gasp and then cough. She nearly drops the flute to the ground as she leans forward, pressing her hand against her nose. You shut the curtain to the aisle as you kneel in front of her, taking the once warm towel to wipe the seat.

"Hey, you can't get drunk before me. You okay?"

Wanda holds her towel to her nose, blowing out the rest of the drink that shot up from her cough, "And you only got me a week in Greece for my birthday?"

You can see her teasing smirk behind the towel as you climb back into your seat with a roll of your eyes, "Im' sorry. Was that private jet not to your liking? Or was it only waiting five minutes to get into that local restaurant?"

She eyes you carefully, "Thank you for not taking me to one of those Michelin restaurants."

You give a hard laugh, forcing a grin on your face, "They're too posh for me. Besides, you leave feeling hungry anyways."

Wanda rests a hand on your arm, her thumb stroking along your skin. You glance at her quickly, looking back at your laptop before a blush can form on your face. Wanda can hear the stiffness in your laughs, the way your eyes glaze over as you play through every horrible thing that can happen at this event.

"Are you alright?"

There's no use trying to hide anything from her. You may not be a couple on the way to getting married at the end of the year, but she knows you like she is. A deep connection between the two of you that you are so scared to lose. You sigh and close your laptop, gently picking yourself up to close Wanda's suite door and not just the curtain.

Just in case someone you know is on this same flight, the last thing you need is more gossip in your aunt's ears.

"I just... I can't believe you still want to do this."

Wanda tilts her head as she rests on her seat, "I mean, I get to fly first class."

You hum, leaning forward and going to swipe at your screen. Trying to find a distraction, to not think about all of the guilt and selfishness that has been gnawing at you for months. All the crap you've made Wanda go through and what she's putting on hold for you.

And your anger towards her for not being just as selfish and just taking your money to run to the other side of the country, away from you. Wanda knows you too well, as she pulls your arm back to the armrest.

Leaning back into the seat, her fingers smooth out the folds along your shirt, "Hey, it's just me. Not your family. You know you can be honest with me."

"I'm going to figure out how to make sure you finish out your degree," you nod, making it a promise.

"Y/N..."

You shake your head before she can spew that crap of taking a break, "No, this isn't more important. This is not what you want to do with your life. Putting up with me. With my family."

"You still haven't told me what you want to do with your life. Your dreams. You know all of mine."

Wanda's fingers trace down your arm, tickling along the inside of your palm. You just stare at each other, nothing but the white noise of the plane engines. Her green eyes try to pull you open, just to find a crack in you.

And you hold on for dear life on a quiet dream only you know. A dream filled with green eyes and not a single suit in your closet. A dream of calm days and nights with callused hands and no spreadsheets. A dream of raising a family that didn't pull at turtlenecks every Christmas.

There's a knock and for the first time, neither of you move to make it seem like you're in love. There's no faking anything in this moment. There's no thought to hide anything from anyone here. It's just the two of you.

"Making sure you get to live your dreams," you whisper, answering her request to be honest.

The door slides open with your first meal of the flight and you smile at the attendant as you lean back to set up your tray. You take the food and clear your throat as you carefully unroll your cloth napkin. Wanda is silent, poking at her salad and eyes all of this food on her tray. You wait for her to glance with a side eye, planning on how she's going to steal your cookie, but you know she's not thinking about that.

Quietly, you reach around for your bag and rummage around for a moment before your hand wraps around a plastic container. Bringing it up to your tray, you pop open the lid and hold up half of a sandwich over to Wanda.

She glances over, chuckling with a slight blush. She takes it as you hold your half of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, tipping it towards her as she tips towards you. Cheering with the sandwiches, you grin as you see the small smile spread across her lips.

"Bon appetit," she whispers to you.

You laugh and bite into the most perfect sandwich you've ever had, "Ah see. We'll make a fancy woman out of you yet."

Wanda rolls her eyes, "I'm not taking French classes," she scoffs, watching you stuff the rest of the sandwich in your mouth, "And we'll make you a commoner yet."

Her eyes rest on yours for a moment, both of you chewing quietly. The way she looks at you, it almost feels like she can read your mind. Grinning, she shimmies closer to your armrest and takes the remote for your screen, "Okay, these are the movies I want to watch. There is absolutely no debate."

___________________________

Clearing your throat, you smooth out your jacket and take careful step towards the large white tent in front of you.

The time between the plane landing and you having to slip into your wedding attire wasn't long enough, you found. Your head felt like it had barely rested on the pillow before Wanda was shaking you awake softly, whispering that it was time to get up.

You grumbled the whole time as you slipped into a suit just to go get ready somewhere else. She nodded, agreeing with your half mumbled words as she handed you all your things and shoved you out the door. You didn't see her again until the ceremony and even then, you couldn't be next to her.

She was just far enough away from you that you couldn't hold onto her for reassurance or listen to her whisperings as she made fun of your cousins. You had to stand around in the wedding party, trying to sneak glances at her in a beautiful dress that was showing just enough to make your eyes linger.

You know she noticed your stare, the slight blush in your cheeks as she mouthed out for you to behave as you wished she knew you weren't staring to feed into the lie. You were staring because she was drop dead gorgeous and you desperately wanted to be sitting next to her in that pew.

Despite your desperation to be near Wanda, the ceremony went smoothly enough. Not much room to cause a ruckus inside of a church. You had made eye contact with your father as you walked down the aisle with the wedding party but you couldn't read anything from him. Wanda steadied you with small grins as you stood up there, when she wasn't trying to corral Bucky with his fidgeting.

Now though, it was no man's land and your father could come around at any moment. And that any moment would certainly be after he had a few too many glasses of whiskey neat. You shudder at the thought as you can see the long tables with far too many flowers on top. All of the personalized drinkware and all the different utensils you're going to have to remember how to use for dinner.

Wanda's arm is hooked in yours, a simple burgundy dress to match the splash of color on your clothes. Your mother didn't have anything planned for her and Wanda was thankful, making comments on how uncomfortable some of the other dates were looking. You nod along, your eyes washing over the entering crowd but not taking anything in, your mind a thousand miles away.

Taking in a deep breath as you walk into the air conditioned tent, you let out a groan. Barely a step inside and you're already running into roadblocks that stop a somewhat enjoyable evening.

"Fuck me," you whisper with a turn of your head as Wanda continues to glance behind you. You duck your head as you mutter through the name cards on the table and try to find your seat quickly and without making eye contact with another certain someone.

"Oh my god," Wanda chuckles as she pulls at your arm to keep you where you are, "Is that your ex?"

"Yes," you whisper sharply and walk towards the bar. Glancing back to get Wanda, you watch in horror as her arm raises and she waves, "Wha- Don't wave!"

Wanda giggles as you drag her towards the bar, "They kind of look like me," she hums, "You have a type, Y/N. Oh god, imagine if we wore the same dress. The embarrassment."

You glare ahead of you, staring at your ex dressed in a flowing and incredibly expensive white dress, "Yes. Totally embarrassing."

Your fingers clench the bartop as you let out a heavy breath. Jaw clenched tightly as you yank at your collar, trying to loosen the thick fabric that's pressing into your jugular. Eyes are on you, you can feel it. The quiet whispers as those who walk past, commenting on who's on your arm.

A hot flash runs through your body as you try to think of something to cool you down and clear your head.

"Hey," Wanda pulls you from the bar to let others order and you watch some of your cousins glancing at the two of you. Whispering, snickering.

You lean against the side of the bartop as Wanda thanks the attendant and hands you a glass of water to try and cool you down. She stands in front of you, smoothing out your shirt, "Relax. Everything's going to be fine. We've done this a million times."

You shake your head, the ice shaking in your hand, "They've probably rigged the bouquet and garter toss so we're forced to get married."

She grabs your face and snaps your wandering eyes to her, "Stop it. We're only here to show that we came. Talk to a few people, leave and go get drunk. Okay? Can you do that?"

You grab her hands softly, rubbing them with your thumb as you bring them down between you, "This isn't fair to-,"

Wanda steps forward, her lips pressing against yours and stopping you from finishing that thought. You take in a deep breath, standing up straighter as you drop her hands. Arms wrap around her waist as her fingers grip your jacket roughly. Her lips move against you, not a small peck to keep up appearances. It's a deep kiss, rough. As if the world doesn't exist around you and for a moment, you truly forget it exists.

Her forehead rests against yours for a moment, the both of you slowing your breaths, "Are you going to stop now?"

Taking in a slow breath, you hum, "I'm sorry."

"I swear, I'll kiss you again," Wanda's fingers wrap around your jacket collar tighter but her voice is soft, almost like she's asking.

"She has to threaten you with kisses now?" Steve walks up, sharing a laugh with Wanda as he gives her a hug.

Bucky comes from the side and jabs your side but you restrain yourself from grabbing him in a headlock. But he can see it in your eyes, you'll be keeping count tonight and every time he pisses you off, he's buying a round tonight. He doesn't care and gives Wanda a tighter than necessary hug and purses his lips,

"You can threaten me with kisses, babes."

Wanda rolls her eyes as she shoves his face away but doesn't push him away completely. She snaps, holding out her hand as he gives her a confused look.

"Oh, do not start playing coy, Mr. Barnes." She unbuttons his jacket and slides the flask from the inside pocket. Giving it a shake to see how much is left, she holds it out to you, "Drink."

You scoff, pushing it away before prying eyes can see it, "What? There's an open bar literally right here,"

Wanda sighs, "It's your third cousin four times removed or something. You really think they bought the top shelf?"

You look over at the boys and they make an impressed face, nodding that she's completely right as they peek behind the bar. You grin, grasping the flask and take a sniff of the strong liquor hidden inside.

"You're amazing."

"I know," Wanda whispers and leans forwards, "Now drink."

You take a long swig. Shivering at how it slides down your throat and warms your body as you slam it back into Bucky's chest. Wanda shoos them away and waits for you to calm yourself down.

"You're going to be okay?"

Straightening out your back and broadening your shoulders, you take the tumbler of cheap whiskey she hands you as she holds her flute of champagne. You gaze around the thickened crowd and try to pick out familiar faces, remembering which ones to avoid and who to talk with.

"Don't let go of me," you whisper down into her ear as she settles into the crook of your arm.

You make your steps important as you head towards one person only. You don't want to have unimportant conversations with cousins that didn't matter. You needed people to remember you were here so you could leave earlier. Preferably before the cake was cut and the drunks got too drunk.

"Oh! Mother, you're here."

As you step to her, you wish that you hadn't come to her first now. Your father was probably preferable at this point. She's looking around in disgust and glances over at Wanda with a tight smile, "And where would I be? Spain?"

You clench your brows slightly, "No, I... I just tried to get a hold of you when we landed. And we did get here before you, I thought you would've checked the bouquets."

"I was very busy," your mother starts to walk away and you glance at Wanda. She pushes you forward to step in time with your mother, "Why is it so important where I am?"

You jog ahead of Wanda as she whispers to Bucky, "It's not. It's just a little odd, Mother."

"Well I'm here now, aren't I? So, it isn't odd," she looks at Wanda with a sigh, "The crest goes on the right side, not the left."

"Mother, it looks-,"

"And cotton tablecloths with folding chairs? What is this? In my day, people sat in real chairs."

You step in front of her, making her actually look at you and not at cotton tablecloths and cheap vases, "Hey, what's going on?"

Your mother sighs, playing with the lock on her clutch before she rests her eyes on your face, "I wanted your fiancee to be presented in a beautiful, elegant ballroom. God knows, your father already has enough ammo."

You raise your brows, "Fiancee? Mother, we haven't discussed anything."

"There's Elise," your Mother has a disgusted look on her face before she quickly forces a grin through, "I'm going to go have a talk with her about the proper height for a taper."

Wanda stands next to you, "Is it supposed to be on the left?"

Taking Wanda's hands before she tries to fix the crest in her hair, you let your fingers intertwine with a sigh, "No, she's just being picky. Pretty sure she shared some words with my father. And there are my aunts. They look especially excited to talk to you."

You wave slightly as Wanda turns wide-eyed, “Do not leave me with them.”

With a soft peck, you watch as one leaves the herd to come fetch her, “Family traditions, darling.”

Steve walks up beside you as you watch a helpless Wanda being practically dragged across the way. To be asked a billion questions about you and her. If you’ve finally popped the question, what kind of seat you got her on the flight and if you were sharing a bed at the hotel. 

“How is she handling everything?” Steve sips on his drink as you slide a hand in your pocket and play with the small ring pouch.

You sigh, “As long as I can keep her from another experience with my father, I think she’ll make it out of all of this unscathed.”

He hums, “You do know he’s expecting a ‘hello’ tonight, right?”

“You his new pet?” you ask, not snappy or rude that he’s taken your place. But pity, you know the weight of the universe on Steve’s shoulders right now and you wish you could throw it all back at your father.

“Let’s just say,” Steve clears his throat as his eyes scan for Bucky, “you don’t get mentioned much anymore. You’re the lucky one. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for you.

You let out a small laugh as he gives a wink and heads off into the crowd, thankful that he’ll try to get you through tonight without having to see that man. The last thing you wanted to do today was engage in a screaming match. And with how your mother is already ticked off, you can only imagine the foul mood he’s in right now. 

For now, Wanda is trying to catch your eyes. Pleading for you to come save her and you quickly down the rest of your drink. Your aunts have practically circled her, not giving her an outlet and you shake your head. She’ll never know a moment's peace if she keeps up this charade. 

Twisting your cummerbund, you start to make your way over to save Wanda. She doesn’t see you amongst the sea of hats and you step inside the circle, resting a hand on her waist. 

“Hi, could you come with me? My cummerbund and I aren’t seeing eye to eye.”

“Speaking of the devil, totally helpless as always. Excuse me,” your aunts laugh at Wanda’s sass as you pull her away from the vultures. 

Once you’re far enough away, Wanda steps in front of you and helps you fix the fabric. The aunts are no doubt still watching, “Oh, you saved me. I love you. I wanna get married to you.” 

You roll your eyes, “I saw that look. Same one you had the night you ate a whole pie by yourself.”

“Ugh. I didn’t know talking about myself could be so exhausting.”

Before you can answer, your Mother pops up out of nowhere, shocking you as you step back. She rests her hand on your arm, “Y/N, have you seen your father?”

“I haven’t really been looking out for him.”

Your Mother sighs, “He promised me he’d be here by now,” 

Your eyes glance over to Wanda, she’s already searching, “Hold on, you didn’t come together? Did you call him?”

“Yes, I called him,” your Mother snaps as you rest your hands in your pockets, “Of course, I called him. I wouldn’t go this long without calling him.”

She’s worried, panicking about where he might be. You know he likes to sneak off to smoke cigars and drink too much alcohol, the reception hasn’t even started yet. The amount of times you’ve had to go find him and drag him back to your mother, only to be reprimanded and belittled the whole walk over.

Wanda grabs your hand and brings you back to her, “Charles, he’s here.”

Both of you turn but you're the only one with a set jaw, glaring straight ahead as you watch him with a triple shot in his glass already.

"Oh Charles, where have you been?" your Mother walks over to him and you can see them starting a quiet argument.

Trying not to gather an audience but eyes are already locked on them. You choose not to be one of them and turn to look at Wanda. 

“I can’t look. Are they arguing about the cloth tablecloths?”

Wanda glances over your shoulder, “No, no. They’re energetically practicing their interpretive dance for tonight.”

You sigh and Wanda’s hand slips in yours, “Don’t worry. I’m not letting you go,”

And she doesn’t. Some part of her keeps a hold of you throughout the evening. Checking up on you with each tight laugh you let out and every new drink you got. Making sure you sipped on water and tried to get you to breathe deeply even with a stiff collar.

She collected up Steve and Bucky as the night continued on, knowing that strength was in numbers. If the aunts dragged her away again, she needed to make sure you were okay. 

The four of you stayed together as much as possible. Thankfully, you had been sat together and you didn’t have to deal with unending questions about what your relationship with Wanda meant. What it meant for her to be wearing the family crest in her hair. What it meant for her to still be with you after all these months. What it meant to have the outline of a family heirloom in your pocket. 

When Wanda saw you starting to get stressed after dinner, she’d grab your hand and drag you out to the dance floor and try to get you to loosen up. Being mixed in the crowd helped you both to stay away from family and just focus on each other, something you were hoping to do all night long, clinging to the hope that you knew would be ripped away from you sooner or later. 

It was starting to grow later in the evening and the music was growing less classical as the older guests were leaving. You stepped aside for Wanda to dance with the boys as you quietly discussed some quick numbers with a cousin because work never truly stopped. Steve already had to exit the tent to make phone calls through the night. 

“Excuse me!” A familiar sing song voice came from behind you as fingers wrapped up in your cummerbund and pulled you to her, “No working.”

You shrug and follow behind Wanda, grabbing her hand and spinning her out from you. She comes back to you, “When do we get out of here?” her hand rests in yours as the song starts to transition into something slower. 

“I think we’ve avoided my father for as long as we can.”

Wanda nods and smooths back some of your hair, “Need me to do the talking?”

“Talking? You mean cussing him out,” you chuckle, saluting the boys and walking away as you hold onto Wanda’s hand. 

But your confident steps falter when you see the burly man on the other side of the tent. You freeze, a sense of dread running through you. Wanda rubs her hands across your shoulders and tries to keep you grounded. 

“There’s still time to propose,” she jokes as her chin rests on your shoulder, “Eyes are on us.”

You sigh, turning your head and pulling her closer to your side. Close enough for your lips to skim against hers and she presses against you for a quick peck.

A small promise that she’ll stand by your side. That she isn’t going anywhere without you. But a small part of you wishes she would. Wishes she would explode out in a fake breakup, to end all of this fake dating and escape a life of the same old, same old. 

“Get this over with,” you mutter to her and you both walk up to what could possibly be the worst way to end this charade. 

“These whiskeys all have multiple malts. This is exactly why they are a third cousin,”

“Just come sit down,” your Mother insists, tired from putting up with him all evening, “I think you’re being irrational.”

He lets out a huff, his face already burning red from all the alcohol he’s had, “I’m going to finish my drink.”

“You won’t be happy until you spoil everything for Y/N this evening, will you?” Your Mother bites her tongue from saying more as you stop behind your Father. 

“Father,” you call out to him but he either pretends not to hear you or wants you to try again. You practically snarl out his name again, louder and sharper and gather the attention of more than just him. 

“Ah, there you are. I’m surprised you aren’t still squabbling with those ruffians you call friends at that diner that serves roadkill.”

You sigh, can’t even make it one sentence with some fake pleasantries. Wanda grips your arm tightly, “We don’t serve roadkill at the diner.”

Your father’s smile tightens, “Well, good for you. And it seems you’re still keeping up the farce if she’s here.”

“The farce?” You say through grit teeth and Wanda keeps you attached to her side. 

“You really expect me to believe this girl has fallen in love with you? You might have your mother fooled but I know you. And beyond that, you’re letting this floozy strut around with our family crest? For everyone to see?”

The pain on Wanda’s face is all it takes to finally snap you out of your obedient ways. You could stand there all day and let him belittle you and tell you how much of a disappointment you were to the family name. But to take Wanda’s name and throw it in the mud, you couldn’t stand by a second longer. 

In fact, you lunge forward. Escaping Wanda’s grasp as you grip his tailored tux with a fury, listening to his drink fall and crash from his hand all over the floor. People gasp around you and Wanda tries to pull you back but you can feel the shaking anger through your veins.  

“Enough! I have lived my life listening to your constant denigration! But you will not speak that way to Wanda. Do you understand me?”

You flick him away from you and towards the bar, his back smacking against the bartop. He looks around as he clears his throat, smoothing out his tux in front of prying eyes, “Do not continue making a fool of yourself. You have a social responsibility, Y/N.”

Rolling your eyes, you rip your collar open, “I am so tired of hearing you say that!”

“And I am growing tiresome of your childish antics! People expect us to be at certain places and to do certain things! You are expected to do things for the company and that means not making a fool out of our name! Do you know what I am going through at work because of your stunt?”

You raise your arms, “Father, your whole life isn’t that damn company! The same way my world doesn’t revolve around destroying the company! You think I’m doing this to be petty? Fine, believe what you want because what can you do, Father? You’ll cut me from your inheritance? I don’t give a shit!”

There’s gasps among the crowd from your language but you give them all a look. You know they say worse at their little tea parties or golf tee times. 

“Y/N, calm down.” Wanda presses against your back, trying to get you to walk with her.

 “You know what, I’ll do you one better,” you snap at him, “I quit! I quit the business, I quit this goddamn family. Write me out of everything!” Your Father glances around as you step towards him, clenching your fists, “All I wanted from you was a ‘good job’, ‘I’m proud of you’. Are you even capable of saying those words?”

He stutters but composes himself quickly. Standing straighter and you let out a scoff, not knowing why you even gave him one last chance. 

“I didn’t think so. Hey, you know what. Here’s something you’ll be proud of because you’ll have been right.”

Wanda grips your arm tighter as you take another step forward and lower your voice, “This thing between Wanda and I, you knew it right from the start didn’t you? That if I ‘lowered’ myself down to a waitress in a diner, I’d never come back to your damn legacy. Well, congratulations to you because we’re not dating!”

As you were talking, you didn’t notice a hand slip into your pocket. Dainty fingers you’ve come to find comfort in resting in your hand carefully sliding something on with a heavy weight. 

“We’re engaged!” Wanda slides her arm from yours as you feel your eyes widen and heart drop to your stomach, watching her extend her hand. Your Father coughs and you watch him for the first time in your life lose composure. The sight sends a heavy breath through your slack jawed mouth. The old man is human and has fears and they’re all playing out in front of him. 

An announcement for the first dance echoes out across the sea of murmurs and your father knows he needs to be close by for a speech. 

“Do not move,” he growls, shooting daggers at Wanda as he glances around at the whispers growing around him. 

“Good luck handling this scandal,” you whisper with a calm voice, Wanda’s hand slips in yours as you let out a sigh, “I’m sorry for the shock, Mother.”

She gives a look, unsurprised that you’d do that to cut your father’s legs out from under him but she gives you no words. She’ll call later tonight after he goes to sleep. You walk quickly with Wanda, practically shoving through the crowd as they try to lean in to see Wanda’s hand and the ring on her finger. You escape out of the tent and your stride grows long as you try to get to the valet. 

“Are you alright?” Wanda whispers as you wait for your car and start to slowly unbutton your shirt

“Just don’t let go of me,” you whisper and her grip grows tighter on your arm. 

Glancing over, she gives you a small grin, “I’ve got you.”

______________________________

A glowing phone is burned behind your eyelids as you open the door to your hotel suite. The words 'Congratulations' sent a cold weight through your chest as the email was celebrated for a silent and lonely second before Wanda switched off her phone. Switcher off her phone to make sure you are okay, to let you hold onto her hand as you stared steely out of the windshield.

Rubbing your forehead, you officially untuck your shirt and kick off your shoes, “Well, what’re you gonna do now?”

Wanda looks at you questioningly, “What do you mean? I’m getting us food.”

You pinch your nose, “Shit. I gotta look to see if I can get the rest of your money out.”

“Y/N?”

You quickly pull out your phone and swipe to your app, “He might not shut everything tonight because he’s drinking. But, shit.”

Wanda tries to grab your phone but you’re already turning away from her to get out of her grasp, “Have you seriously never thought that maybe I was doing this for more than money? I put up with this bullshit game that you call family time. I stood there silent like a trophy wife while you got berated when you weren’t like them. You really think I did everything for money?”

You stand there, knowing that if she stays, it will be this night on repeat until your father is gone from this world. Constant beratings and silent whispers amongst the family everytime Wanda is there for the holidays or events. As you watch her hold out her hands, waiting for you to speak, you realize your father was right. 

Everytime you met with him, he’d start off with the same phrase each time, Cut the ties. You needed to cut all ties with her, “This was a mistake.” All ties, it was the only thing that would save her from this. 

Wanda walks up to you, trying to hold you in place, “We have to have had some type of connection where you know I’m not about the money, Y/N. And I know that you’re not either.”

You shake your head, “I can fix this. I can still fix this,” you tear the cummerbund off your waist, “I’ll come clean to them. Tell them what happened.”

“You’re not even listening to me,”

You groan, you’re listening but you’re trying to listen to your guilt more, “Wanda, this company is all I know. It was my first job and it was supposed to be my only.”

Wanda runs her hands through her hair, wanting to slap you, "You're not happy!"

“And I’ve been trying to get you to leave so you don’t have to live this! So you can be happy!”

“Y/N! I would’ve left after the Fourth of July bullshit but…” she waves you away, walking quickly from you as she picks up her dropped heels. 

You watch her walk away, brows clenched as she disappears into her room. Your arm falls to your side, 

“Why didn’t you?”

It’s a thick silence inside the suite and you stand there in silence, waiting for her to come back to you. You stand there, eyes glued to the doorway as you mull thoughts around your brain. Debating whether you should spill out the truth for her and let her decide where she wanted to go with everything.

Whether she would work with you or run away. Despite her saying she wasn’t about the money, you were still terrified. Terrified of the power she had over you and the pain you’d feel if you never saw those green eyes again. 

After what feels like an eternity, she comes out with wavy auburn hair and her robe tied around her body. But she doesn’t say a word, just stares at you with a thousand words on her lips. 

“You get mad that I don’t listen and now you’re not talking. I don’t know what you want from me!”

She groans out loudly, “You! I want you, you absolute fucking idiot! I’m in love with you!”

The words hit your ear as your phone hits the floor. You stare at her as your lips part with a rush of air that was supposed to be your response. Her eyes search for something inside of yours, but all you can do is stare in shock. Shock that she’d ever say those words to you. That maybe all of this time, you two could’ve ended all of this months ago. 

“Yeah, you can save your breath. I should’ve just taken the damn money,” she mutters, going to the phone in the living room to order food as she continues about how you’re always right and she should just listen to you. 

But the words are mumbled and distant by the time you hear them. You move forward, stepping with slow steps that speed up as you cross the room. Her fingers twist around the cord, unaware of you growing closer and you slam into her without warning.

She gasps as your arms wrap around her waist and yank her towards you. Surging forward, your lips find hers and they form against yours as perfectly as every other time. Your kiss is desperate, more desperate than it’s ever been. You turn her into the couch hard, nearly tipping her over as it scratches along the floor. 

You barely notice though, her fingers running through your hair as you pull her so close into you that she leans with your body. Deepening the kiss as she sighs out, you realize everything you’ve ever dreamed was right here in your arms and you couldn’t fight it any longer. The world, in this sweet and quiet moment, only held the two of you. 

You’re both breathing hard as you force yourself to release your lips from hers, foreheads pressed against one another. Keeping your eyes shut, her fingers travel along your back as you listen to a quiet hum come from her lips. You grin, running your thumb along her cheek and wrap your other arm around her tighter, never wanting to let her go. There’s a soft click and you hear footsteps but your grin never falters from the beautiful way her eyes shimmer just for you. 

“We brought alcohol- oh shit!”

“I told you! I fucking knew it!” 

A familiar voice cuts through the air and Wanda pushes you off of her, “Why the fuck is she here?” Wanda laughs and smacks your arm. 

You grimace at the hard hit, no doubt all her pent up stress from having to deal with you, “She was supposed to surprise you. She was a bit upset that I didn't invite her to Greece.”

You pull Wanda back to you with a groan, watching the grin on her face as she sees how desperately you want her near,  and nuzzle your face against her neck, “But I’m going to kill Bucky for ruining this,”

“And what’s he interrupting?” Wanda whispers,“We can continue right now,”

You raise your brows as you pick up your head, “Really? Right in front of them? Want to give them a show?”

She rolls her eyes as she turns in your arms, pressing her back against you, “You gave them the room key, pervert.” But she pulls your arms around her tighter and you breathe in sharply, listening to her quiet hum. 

“Okay, we get it. Making up for lost time. We don’t need to see you two swapping spit.”

Pressing your lips against the side of her head, you sway lightly as you rest your chin on her shoulder with a grin, “Did Steve get out of the blast zone?” You knew he’d have the difficult process of handling the aftermath of you stepping down, handling all of that public relations hell. 

Bucky bobs his head side to side, “Your father might be losing two of his best employees and one of his worst.”

Wanda turns in your arms as she pats your chest, “Look at you and all of your good deeds. I knew you were a good person,”

“Yeah. Like really, really deep inside,” Natasha takes a beer from the pack she’s carrying as you stick your tongue out.

Bucky walks up gingerly and holds out two bottles for you and Wanda, “So… what’re we celebrating? Escaping your father?” He glances back at Natasha and they both tilt their heads and bat their eyes, “True love?”

You chuck your bottle cap at him, “Neither. Wanda getting accepted into graduate school.”

Bucky’s eyes go wide as he widens his legs and his arms shoot up with his yells of excitement. He had helped Wanda practice for all of her interviews and essays when Nat was working. You can remember coming out from a meeting in your office, seeing the two of them talking out ideas and through his notes. He’s probably more excited about this than Wanda is. He wraps her up into a huge hug, bounding her around as he squeezes her tightly.

Natasha was by you, jumping out of Bucky’s bulldozing path. She wraps her arms around you in pure happiness before she makes a beeline towards them and gets right into the jumping hug filled with screams of congratulations. Her beer explodes out in foam but no one stops until their voices grow hoarse from yelling. 

“We are totally raiding the kitchen now!” Nat pushes a reluctant Bucky towards the door before he can try to find shot glasses and gives the two of you a wink, “Bucky, do you think I should go back to being a redhead?”

He spins around, wide eyed and walking willingly now to leave the start of a party, “You’re a redhead?”

You sigh and wrap your arms around Wanda’s waist as the door clicks shut, grinning down at the confused look she still has on her face. She pokes your side with a shake of her head, 

“How’d you know?”

You shrug, “Saw it in the car. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Wanda bites against her lip, “I was seeing how you were handling being poor,”

“Oh, look at you. Already making jokes while I’m suffering,” you grin, watching her roll her eyes and flick your cheek, “So… you love me. Even now that I can’t buy you a baker’s dozen of islands?”

“Even more because you can’t. Those are thoughtless gifts,” she giggles as she kisses you but it’s cut short when you feel her lips turn down, “You know I have to leave the state, right?”

You nod, “I remember where you applied.”

She holds onto you tighter, “Come with me?”

You cock a brow but before she can let you talk she fills the split second of silence, “Hey, I don’t want to pressure you. I know that it’ll be the first time you’ve never had a safety net. But… I’ve seen how that safety net held you back from so many things. You… I guess I wonder if you’ve thought about what you need. Not what your family name needs.” She squeezes your hands, “You don’t have to decide anything now, okay? Just give it a thought. But if we want to do this long distance, we already did the faking it trial.”

Grinning, you place your hand gently on her mouth, “I was never faking it. And I’ve already decided… that we pack our bags right after we do some more kissing. Then,”

“Oh, there’s a then?” You press your lips against hers before she can say anymore and rile you up. 

“Then we leave and kiss some more. That’s what I’ve decided.”

Wanda wraps her arms around your neck and her lips press against yours, proving that you’d never want any other lips on yours, “Well then, it’s a good thing I cashed those checks huh? Looks like I’ll be taking care of you,”

“Oh, I have other ways I can take care of you,” you wiggle your brows, taking her feet up from under her and carrying her towards the bedroom. She slaps at you to put her down but you keep walking. 

“They’re going to be back with the food!” she warns you as you chuckle and drop her onto the bed and watch as her face lights up, “And then we can start making all those lovely noises so they leave it all for us.”

Leaning over her, you nod, “You are amazing, Wanda.”

“I know, darling. You aren’t so bad either.”

Opening your mouth to start a long train of comebacks, she grabs your collar and pulls you down, “Don’t ruin the moment. Just kiss me.”

__________________

You chuckle, brushing a piece of Wanda's hair behind her ear as you rest your forehead on hers. Her hands grip your shirt tightly, breathing in slowly as she tries to hold herself together a moment longer. There's a tightness in your chest, her soft words still ringing in your ears and pulling a grin on your lips.

"Oh, I'm going to be in so much trouble," your lips brush against hers as she sighs up at you.

Wanda giggles quietly, "We can't use getting engaged as an excuse anymore. Two time limit."

You smile, opening your eyes and looking at those twinkling green eyes in front of you. The breeze rolls past you, sending a shiver through your body but you can barely notice. Only feeling the warmth that builds inside of your chest.

"When you lovebirds are ready, my nipples can cut glass."

You glare off to the side at Bucky, holding his little notecards with a tight grin and shiver. Wanda pats your cheek as she reaches behind her, whispering to her redheaded best friend. Turning, you hold out your hand and watch as Steve plops a ring that once held the entire weight of the world within its band, in your hand. You mouth a thank you as he gives a wink, watching you draw in a breath before you turn back around.

Holding up the band, Wanda looks at the glinting stone with an excited stare. Totally different from the scared stare she had three years ago.

"This was my grandmother's ring. It's yours now. And so am I."

Wanda draws in a shaky breath as you slide the band onto her finger, lining it up with her engagement band. Bucky leans forward and you groan but Wanda holds onto your hand,

"How much did Steve loan them for this ring?"

Wanda gives him a wink, which pulls another groan from you as she continues to talk to the online ordained man, 'Wouldn't need a loan if they sold one of their beach houses."

"Alright, read from those stupid notes there and let's finish this up," you wrap your arms around her waist and pull her closer to you, "so we can leave."

"What? I told Wanda we'd go check out that pub down the road."

You glance between Bucky and Wanda, leaning over to watch Natasha shrug with a tight grimace. Of course you wouldn't be getting your wife all to yourself just yet. You look at Wanda and she takes your hand from her waist.

"He really likes the fish and chips," you groan against her words as she yanks your finger to her. You glance down and watch her slide her personalized ring onto your finger, "Hey, you're mine now. And I'm yours. Forever. And we are going to celebrate."

Her arms wrap around your neck as she pulls you to her, lips smashing against each other. You breathe in sharply, deepening the kiss and accidentally pulling a moan from her lips as you grip her waist tighter.

Bucky chokes next to you, "You may now kiss the, forget it. Let's leave before they start doing it right here."

You smile against Wanda's lips, "We could be assholes and-,"

She pecks your lips, shimmering eyes looking up at you as her fingers run down your neck, "Don't even think about it."

Humming out, you press a soft kiss along her lips, "You're amazing, Wanda."

"You aren't so bad, either. Are you happy?"

You grin, "Don't let me go. And I'll be the happiest person in the world. With you... and Bucky, forever."

Wanda smiles at your laugh as you lean forward to seal your promise together once and for all.

___________________________