The jet ride back to New York was quiet—exhaustion settling over them like a heavy blanket.
Gwen sat curled against Alex's side, head on his shoulder, fingers laced through his. Her suit was torn at the sleeve; a faint bruise bloomed on her cheek from a glancing blow she'd taken shielding a child. Wanda sat opposite—knees drawn up, red energy flickering softly around her hands like dying embers. Alex's shoulder still ached where the graze had been, but the copied healing was already knitting skin.
No one spoke much.
They didn't need to.
When they landed on the private pad behind the Queens building, Alex helped Gwen down first—gentle hands on her waist. She winced slightly stepping onto the ground.
"Easy," he murmured.
She smiled—tired but real. "I'm okay. Just… sore."
Wanda stepped down last—hesitant, like she still expected the ground to drop away. Alex offered his hand. She took it, squeezing once.
Inside the apartment, they shed gear in silence—suits peeled off, weapons set aside, wounds checked under soft bathroom light.
Gwen showered first—hot water washing away mud and blood. When she emerged in Alex's oversized hoodie, hair damp, she found him and Wanda on the couch. He was rebandaging her arm where chaos magic had taken a burn from an energy rifle. Wanda's head rested on his shoulder; his free hand stroked her hair in slow, soothing rhythms.
Gwen padded over—bare feet silent on the floor. She sank down on Alex's other side, tucking herself under his arm.
He pulled her close—sandwiching Wanda gently between them.
No words at first.
Just breathing. Touch. The quiet certainty that they'd all come back.
Gwen broke the silence—voice soft, raw.
"I was so scared today," she admitted. "When that grenade went up… when you jumped in front of me… I thought—" Her voice cracked. "I thought I'd lose you. Both of you."
Alex pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'm here."
Wanda lifted her head—eyes shining. "I felt it too. Through the resonance. Your pain. Your fear. It… it terrified me. That I could lose this before I even knew how to hold it."
Gwen reached across—took Wanda's hand. "We didn't lose anything. We won. Together."
Wanda's fingers tightened. "Because of you both. I've never… I've never fought beside people who didn't want something from me. Who didn't fear me."
Alex turned to her—cupped her cheek. "We're not afraid of you. We're in awe of you. And we love you."
Wanda's breath hitched. "I love you too. Both of you. So much it hurts."
Gwen leaned in—kissed Wanda's forehead softly. Then Alex's cheek. Then—tentative, gentle—Wanda's lips. A brush at first. Then deeper. Wanda melted into it—hand rising to cradle Gwen's face.
Alex watched—heart full, no jealousy, only gratitude. When they parted, he leaned in—kissed Wanda slow and deep, tasting salt and relief. Then Gwen—familiar, grounding, home.
They stayed like that—tangled together on the couch—kisses soft and lingering, hands gentle on wounds and skin, whispers of love and promises between breaths.
"I keep thinking about the kids in that convoy," Gwen murmured eventually, voice thick. "How close they came. How we almost weren't fast enough."
Alex's arm tightened around her. "But we were. Because we were together."
Wanda nodded against his chest. "I felt the chaos inside me today—wild, angry. But when I saw you both in danger… it didn't destroy. It protected. It listened."
Alex kissed the top of her head. "That's what we do for each other. We make the chaos into something that saves instead of breaks."
Gwen lifted her head—eyes glistening. "I used to think power meant being alone. Stronger than everyone else. Untouchable. But today… I felt stronger because I had both of you. Because I knew you'd catch me if I fell."
Wanda reached across—brushed a tear from Gwen's cheek. "You did the same for me. You both did."
They fell quiet again—only the soft patter of rain against the windows and the steady rhythm of their breathing.
Later, when the adrenaline had fully faded to bone-deep tiredness, they moved to the bedroom. No rush. No urgency. Just the need to be close.
They curled together under the blankets—Alex in the middle, Gwen on his right, Wanda on his left. Hands intertwined. Legs tangled. Hearts pressed close.
Gwen traced idle patterns on Alex's chest. "We're going to have more days like today, aren't we?"
"Probably," he admitted quietly. "But we'll have more days like this too. Quiet ones. Safe ones. Ones where we just… exist."
Wanda's voice was soft, almost reverent. "I never thought I'd have that. A place to rest. People who want me to rest."
Alex turned his head—kissed her temple. "You do now."
Gwen leaned over—kissed Wanda's cheek. Then Alex's lips—slow, lingering.
"I love you," she whispered to both of them. "Both of you. All of this."
Wanda's red energy glowed softly—warm, gentle—wrapping around the three of them like a blanket.
"I love you," she echoed. "More than I thought I could."
Alex pulled them closer—voice rough with emotion.
"I love you both. More than the powers. More than the fight. More than anything I've ever known."
They lay there—three heartbeats slowly syncing.
Rain kept falling outside.
Inside, wounds healed.
Fears quieted.
Love deepened.
And for tonight, the world could wait.
(Word count: 1006)