Morning light spilled into the bedroom, golden patches on the floor. James opened his eyes, gold pupils contracting. Wanda slept beside him, red hair fanned out, breathing steady. Last night's exploration had drained her, her first time taxing.
He rose quietly, a black silk robe draping over him. The living room was silent, waves whispering outside. "Good morning, sir," Turing said. "Mr. Stark's waiting on a call, three minutes."
James raised an eyebrow, heading to the kitchen, coffee brewing automatically. "Tony? This early?"
"Urgent, sir," Turing replied. "Connect?"
"Do it."
Tony's hologram appeared, tired, eyes shadowed, holding espresso. "James, I almost killed that bastard last night."
James sipped coffee, morning light outlining him. "And?"
"Coulson ID'd him," Tony said, voice low. "A Howling Commando, Cap's best friend."
James tapped the glass. "So?"
"He fell off a cliff in '44," Tony continued. "Hydra grabbed him, brainwashed him, made him a killing machine. Jarvis got a file—my parents' murder footage."
James sensed Wanda still asleep. "You watched?"
"Every frame," Tony said, voice flat. "Saw him choke my dad, my mom beg…"
A glass shattered over the comm. James sat. "So you want to know if you should kill him?"
"Wanda didn't kill me," Tony said, "despite hating me."
"I'm not you," James replied. "Your call."
"If I kill him…"
"If you don't…" James countered.
"I'll regret it," Tony bitter-laughed. "Hell of a choice."
James gazed at the shimmering sea. "Choices suck. He was Hydra's puppet, but it's your decision."
Silence. "My dad never said he loved me," Tony said softly. "But when that bastard choked him, his last words were to save Maria. He loved her."
James stayed quiet. "I get it," Tony said, firmer. "Thanks."
The call ended. Footsteps pattered. Wanda descended, hair mussed, wearing James's black shirt, barely covering her thighs. "Who called so early?" she yawned.
James closed the hologram, pulling her into his lap. "Tony. He's wrestling a choice."
She nestled against his chest. "What kind?"
"Maybe being better," James said, stroking her hair.
Wanda smiled sleepily. "Like me?"
He kissed her forehead. "You always were."
She blushed, hiding in his neck. "When'd you get so smooth?"
He patted her back. "Change. I'm teaching you teleportation today."
Her eyes lit up. She bounded upstairs, then paused. "Sure it's not because of last night?"
"Go," he said, smirking.
Ten minutes later, in the training room, golden runes spun beneath James. Wanda faced him, hair fluttering in her energy field. "Chaos magic differs from Kamar-Taj's spells," James said, tracing sparks. "It's intent and emotion, no chants."
Wanda nodded, scarlet energy mimicking him. Red sparks fizzled, no portal forming. "Don't rush," James said, hand on her shoulder. "Feel space flow, like water parted by your energy."
She closed her eyes, energy condensing. Sparks flared, a shaky portal collapsing. "I can't," she huffed.
James chuckled. "You warped space on your first try. Not bad."
He guided her hands. "Again. Don't control—let it respond."
Her energy wove with his, a stable portal opening to the room's other side. "I did it!" she cheered, nearly bumping him.
He smiled. "Good, but real teleportation crosses dimensions, not rooms."
She smirked. "Show me."
He opened a portal to a snowy Himalayan peak, winds howling. "Kamar-Taj mages often strand themselves here learning."
Wanda laughed. "You too?"
"Mastered it day one," he said.
"Show-off," she muttered, eyes adoring.
"Keep practicing," he said, closing the portal. "Stable cross-continental portals, then mirror dimension lessons."
Her next portal held steady, edges smooth. "I did it!" she beamed.
James squinted. His vision pierced the portal—not the training room, but a city with towering skyscrapers, a Daily Planet globe in the distance.
"System," he thought. "What's this?"
[Ding! Anomalous spatial fluctuation detected,] the system replied. [Wanda's chaos magic opened a multiversal rift. This is outside your mission scope; no directive issued.]
James frowned. "She tore a dimensional barrier herself?"
[Yes. Her reality-altering magic, amplified by strong emotions, breached the multiverse.]
James glanced at Wanda, who touched the portal's edge, marveling at the alien city.
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