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“Are you sure we’re going to be alright?”
Wanda Maximoff looked a little concerned at the scene around them.
Standing in the middle of a sea of sequins, Wanda and Darcy had managed to cover the entirety of her bedroom floor with outfit options. There were feathers and fringe, acid-washed jeans and denim cut-offs scattered around in semi-organized piles and makeshift combinations. Their matching accessories were safely on the bed, select jewelry and wigs, hats and hosiery in various states and styles.
It was starting to take Darcy back to high school, something akin to the first day of school outfit jitters, the giddy twisting in her gut included.
“Yep, ran it all by security and Tony,” Darcy murmured, holding two hangers up, both sporting different drapey vests as she deliberated. “Plus, we’re in VIP. Fewer people, lower risk.”
Darcy had pulled a few Stark-branded strings to get them tickets to a music festival upstate that weekend, a thoughtful gift that had nearly made Wanda cry.
Darcy remembered when Wanda let it slip that music felt different after the experiments— better. That she could feel it in her bones, the vibrations and the tones. And from then on, music had been such a big part of their relationship, with Darcy knowing that it affected Wanda more than most.
It was one of the first things they’d bonded over in their time at the Tower, so it seemed like the perfect birthday gift.
But there was always a layer of concern. The worries of having an Avenger at a public event, out in the open, with lots of cameras and people. But with enough safeguards in place, including disguises and security topped up in the private section of the fairgrounds, Tony had assured Darcy that they’d be in good hands.
Wanda still didn’t seem entirely convinced but pushed back the concern to lean over and press a kiss to Darcy’s cheek, relishing as her blue eyes snapped shut and she sunk into her body heat.
“I love you,” Wanda mumbled against her skin. “This was very sweet of you to organize.”
“I know,” Darcy shot back with a lilt, turning her head to capture her lips in something a little less chaste. They were half-dressed and already make-up, minus the lipstick— that was always last. “Plus, you’re going to look so hot as a brunette,” Darcy added, eyeing the wig on the bedspread as Wanda followed her gaze.
“Not as hot as you look every single day,” Wanda replied, sticking her tongue out in revenge. She mulled over the distressed denim shorts in her grasp before slipping them on over her fishnets. “It’s not too much, right?”
“Sweetheart,” Darcy whispered, dropping the vests onto the ground and crossing the room to wrap her arms around Wanda’s waist. “Baby,” she said even softer, slipping her hands into tiny the front pockets of Wanda’s shorts. “Love,” she finished, lips just above the hollow of her neck. “You are never too much. You’re perfect.”
Darcy even reached down to wrap a silk scarf around Wanda’s neck, topping her off with a floppy-brimmed black hat for good measure. More was more in the world of festivals, after all.
Everyone would be in some sort of costume, which made hiding in plain sight all the more easy.
Darcy watched the bashful smile light up Wanda’s face as her fingers tugged the hat around her face to hide her blush. The flush that wrapped Wanda’s skin was something to behold, with Darcy wondering if she could somehow bottle this feeling. The anticipation and the excitement. It was like being a kid again on Christmas morning, getting ready in the early hours so they could bake in the hot sun in the days ahead.
But they would be there together in skimpy clothing with an awesome soundtrack.
So it was probably worth the risk of sunburns.
Darcy’s final favour for the weekend involved Clint Barton and a SHIELD-issued QuinJet, dropping them off a safe distance away from the festival grounds so they could walk hand-in-hand up the rural roads, people-watching as they went.
“Wristbands?”
They were only at security when they first felt it, the thump of the bass and the wobble in the earth as soundcheck started on a nearby stage. Wanda and Darcy held up their arms to show security their bands before tapping them on the RFID posts inside.
“That was easy,” Wanda murmured, grin stretched across her face.
Darcy could have watched the awe in her expression forever, catching a glimpse of those wide hazel eyes from behind her sunglasses as her head swept the grounds. It was huge. It was still early; the performances hadn’t even started yet, and it already seemed like the people around them stretched on forever.
“You want a drink?”
Darcy knew that it was mandatory to buy at least two overpriced drinks at any festival— usually in some obnoxiously sized container, steeped in sugar and tasting more like juice by the end of the day.
Normally she would have been more prepared, otherwise known as pre-drinking, but Darcy didn’t want to risk being trashed out in public— not with Wanda. While it didn’t really matter if Darcy Lewis ended up on some random Twitter thread, blitzed and incoherent in the middle of a field, it was a little different with someone whose life was already so public.
Plus, she wanted to be able to remember their time together. These kinds of stolen moments were rare, so Darcy Lewis was happy to just revel in it.
“Are you buying?” Wanda challenged, wrapping her arm around Darcy before slipping her hand into her back pocket. “Because if so…”
Darcy grinned, “What kind of girlfriend would I be if I let my girl go thirsty?”
“Your girl, huh?” Wanda asked with a flash of teeth, her voice just cutting over the soundchecks happening on the main stage.
Their matching pink plastic cups made it into a couple cellphone photos, Wanda taking the lead on posing their hands side-by-side, showing off their contrasting manicures. While Darcy’s nails were painted in a glittery rainbow, Wanda kept her signature sleek black, saving the sparkle for a hint of body glitter highlighting her collarbones. It was hard for Darcy to keep her eyes off her, sneaking glances and pictures as Wanda took in the events around her, going from stall to stall to scope out the vendors— merch and food alike.
Darcy couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her this carefree, chatting with salespeople and giggling at funny t-shirts and souvenirs. It was like she was experiencing this for the first time, through her eyes, and seeing the joy there made all the stresses of planning melt away.
Wanda leaned against the bar waiting for their mandatory second drink before tugging on the belt loops of Darcy’s shorts, making her giggle. Hip-to-hip, Darcy slung an arm around her waist and rested her head on her shoulder.
“Are you having fun?” Darcy murmured, looking up at her girlfriend through slightly hazy eyes.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever felt like I can just be me.”
The response blew the air out of Darcy’s lungs, but she was quick to school her expression, settling on some gentle teasing.
“Who knew going brunette could do all that,” Darcy said with a grin.
But Wanda shook her head, fighting her own smile, “You know what I mean. I’m not worried that anyone’s watching or judging or secretly taking photos of me. Except you,” she added with a wink. Clearly, her sneak photography hadn’t gone unnoticed. “But it’s nice, being in a big crowd like this, with so many people. With the music.”
“But mostly me,” Darcy challenged with a lilt.
Wanda’s smile stretched from ear to ear, “But mostly you.”
But Darcy knew what Wanda meant, knew that she’d been craving this. This day of normalcy, of fading into the background and sneaking kisses in the middle of a crowd.
Truth be told, she’d been dreaming of it too.
By the time they made it to the closing set, the sun was dipping low in the sky, purples and pinks painting the clouds. The dull thud of the bass seemed to rattle their bones, and the crowd was thicker now. They couldn’t even see the ground anymore— just a sea of heads and the odd person hoisted up high on someone’s shoulders.
Wanda’s arms were wrapped around Darcy’s waist, chin resting in the crook of her neck as they watched the start of the final act. They were both pleasantly buzzes— Darcy could somehow always feel when Wanda let her defences down a little, like her essence, her being surrounded her in a subtle warm glow.
“Do you trust me?” Wanda asked her, pressing a kiss to her neck as Darcy’s eyes fluttered shut.
Darcy didn’t hesitate with the reply, “Of course.”
With a breathy chuckle, Darcy could feel the familiar crackle against her skin, more potent now, as Wanda’s fingers wandered across the bare expanse of skin underneath her vintage band shirt. They easily slipped through the frayed and bleached material, tracing invisible loops.
“I thought you said no funny business in public,” Darcy said, a little surprised as she turned her head to speak into Wanda’s ear, hoping she could hear over the music.
“Don’t worry, nobody can see us.”
It took a few seconds for Darcy to realize what was happening. That something in the air, something in Wanda’s subtle use of magic, seemed to amplify the experience around them, turning the dial to twelve and taking Darcy’s breath away.
“Is this how you feel music?” Darcy whispered, wholly entranced in every beat and note.
It was like she could feel the joy radiating off of Wanda, the warm hum that pulsed through her following the beat and driving deep into Darcy’s body. It was better than any buzz, any high, anything she could even think to compare it to that was of this world.
Wanda nodded, gently brushing the hair out of Darcy’s face and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“I wanted to share it with you. On this beautiful night, with my beautiful girl,” she explained. “You gave me this amazing gift, so I wanted to give you something.”
Squeezing their joined hands, Darcy told her, resolutely, “I love you.”
And that how they stayed for the rest of the night. Connected and intertwined, sneaking kisses and teasing touches, nothing more, nothing less. That special kind of intimacy they shared. The kind that didn’t need words or verbal reassurances— just the feeling of them both there, together.
Darcy had never experienced music like this, felt music like this.
Felt love like this.
“I love you too, Darcy Lewis.”