*C87 - Surprise!

'Inner dialogue/thoughts'

"Normal dialogue"

[System]

[Diary entries]

(Word Count: 1,904)

~ The following night with Wanda, in her apartment ~

"Are you sure you guys don't need anymore help to set up for tonight?" Wanda asked.

Pietro was about to leave to meet up with Crystal and head to the café to finalize the preparations. Luke had graciously closed the café much earlier than the usual closing hours in order to facilitate the preparations for the birthday party.

"For the last time, sis, me and Crystal's got this handled. If you arrive now, it'll only ruin the surprise." Pietro sighed as he reiterated his reasonings. "Besides, didn't Luke make a whole spectacle in the café yesterday about taking you on a date to your own birthday party?" He added with a teasing smirk.

In response, Wanda lightly smacked Pietro's shoulder, "Oh enough with that. You've spent the whole week alone with Crystal, don't think you're the only one who can tease about romance." She then reached out to twist Pietro's ear, "And in case you've forgotten, we're twins. So, we share the same birthday."

"Ow ow ow, I get it, I get it." He pleaded. Wanda kept her stance for a few more seconds before releasing her hands. "17 years old and to think you'd still go around twisting my ears like this." Pietro said as he gently rubbed the twisted ear.

Wanda took a step forward menacingly, causing Pietro to step back and raise his hands. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Haha. . ." Seeing that Wanda would not budge, Pietro thought quickly and glanced at his watch, "Oh look at the time, Crystal's waiting for me, and I don't want to keep her waiting. I'll see you later sis, I love you, bye!"

Wanda could only sigh and shake her head as she locked the doors behind Pietro as he sped away from her.

'He seems to be excited about our birthday celebration tonight. Since our parents died, I don't think I've ever seen him this excited about something.' She thought, a gentle smile adorning her lips. 'I should start getting ready too, Luke said he'd come pick me up in about an hour's time. I can't wait to see what he's prepared. He's talked a big game in his diary, let's see if he can back it up.'

However, unbeknownst to Wanda, not everyone would find the night to be exciting, and tomorrow, big changes were bound to happen.

~ A few moments later with Pietro, outside the Peach Blossom Café ~

After rushing off to escape the clutches of his sister, Pietro finally made it to the meeting point he had set with Crystal. "Hey! Sorry I'm late! Wanda held me back for a little while, hope I didn't keep you waiting for long?" He greeted.

"You're actually on time, you know. And I've just arrived myself too!" Crystal replied, giving Pietro a brief hug.

"As long as you've arrived earlier than I have, then I consider myself late."

The corner of Crystal's lips raised when she heard Pietro's answer. "My, what a gentleman. It seems chivalry is not lost in this day and age after all."

He broke into a grin as he stuck his elbow out towards Crystal, "Why, of course, milady. Art thou prepared to embark upon the endeavour of the birthday surprise?"

Crystal, with a twinkle in her eye, curtsied gracefully and then linked arms with Pietro, "Indeed, my lord, I am most ready."

They both chuckled as they made their way through the dimly lit café. As they walked up the stairs, Pietro spoke up, "You know, Wanda might be a little disappointed that I don't get to be with her during the surprise, seeing as how it's our birthday and not only hers."

However, Crystal only had a smirk she hid from Pietro as they neared the end of the stairs. "Well, that just goes to show how much you love your sister, no?" 

"I do-"

"SURPRISE!"

The lights to the upper floor simultaneously switched on to reveal the entirety of the café employees along with Pepper. Crystal had lied to Pietro earlier, she had actually arrived much earlier with the rest of their friends in order to surprise Pietro as well.

"HOLY SHI-"

"LANGUAGE!" Natasha reprimanded before he could finish.

Confused at what was happening, Pietro turned to look at Crystal, who had the biggest grin on her face. "What's going on?"

"Well, I know you wanted to surprise Wanda, but both Wanda and I thought that you deserved your own surprise too. Don't worry, that's all she knows about the surprises."

Pietro smiled as he looked around at the faces of those, he had come to make friends with – April, Natasha, Adam, Eve, Linda, Carmine, Sydney, Marcus, even Pepper, and last but not least, Crystal.

"Thank you. . ." He muttered, his heartfelt appreciation conveyed to Crystal as she kept her smile.

However, Natasha, being the person who she is, felt the undeniable urge to ruin the atmosphere. "I apologize for interrupting this heartwarming atmosphere, but we'd still need to wait another hour for the other guest of honour to arrive."

The upper floor of the café echoed with chuckles at Natasha's interruption, before they scattered to make the final preparations for the party. Crystal was about to walk ahead to help when she was stopped by Pietro grabbing her hand. She turned around only to hear him give his thanks once more.

"Let's go." She smiled as she made her way to the others, pulling Pietro along with her.

~ An hour later with Luke, at Wanda's apartment Lobby ~

Luke was currently waiting for Wanda to come down from her apartment after he had informed her of his arrival. He was a mix of nervousness and excitement. In his original life, he had been one of the many single and sad male loner who had fantasized about being in a romantic relationship with Elizabeth Olsen's portrayal of Wanda Maximoff.

Although he had lived through a life with her in the simulation, it still did not feel as real as it was currently. 'I'm about to live out the fantasies of the many nerds in my old world. Talk about luck! This is even better than winning the jackpot! Not that I would know how that would feel like anyways. . .'

"Ahem" A voice had brought him out of his daze. Turning around to meet the owner of the voice, Luke was sent straight back into his fantasies.

"Wow. . ." He muttered softly, staring intently and dazedly at Wanda's overall appearance.

Wanda blushed at Luke's blatant stare, "Thank you, and while it does please me to see you appreciating my dress, it also embarrasses me while we're in public. So, could you maybe not be so obvious."

Luke snapped out of his daze once again, "That's kind of unfair, don't you think? I've heard people say that the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But God damn Wanda, they're all a bunch of liars considering beauty is literally standing right before me."

This caused Wanda's blush to be more pronounced, a clear shade of red now visible on her cheeks.

He took a step closer, his eyes softening as he reached out to take Wanda's hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you." He said sincerely, "You just look amazing, and I couldn't help but get lost in the moment."

Wanda's blush deepened further, but she smiled, her fingers intertwining with his. "I appreciate it, Luke. It's sweet. Just maybe save some of those compliments for when we're not out in the open?" She teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

He chuckled, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, "Deal. But I can't make any promises about not staring. You are kind of mesmerizing right now in this red dress."

Wanda laughed softly, and the sound was music to Luke's ears. They began walking together towards the café, engaging in small conversations about their day. As they strolled down the sidewalk, Luke felt a sense of calm and content settling over him. Despite his initial nervousness, being with Wanda felt natural, almost as if they were meant to be.

"So, how are you feeling knowing that there's going to be a surprise later on?" Luke asked.

"Not as nervous as I should be." Wanda sighed, "Pietro and Crystal haven't really been all too secretive of the surprise at all."

"Tell me about it. Apparently, they even made a small change yesterday, if the mic stand and speaker that I saw them bring up is any indication." He revealed.

Wanda raised an eyebrow, "Oh? In that case, would you be performing for me later on then?"

"I guess we'll have to wait and see, no?"

Wanda simply held her teasing gaze at Luke's deflection, "So you have been listening to me during our 'dates' in the café. Just so you know, I love slow ballads and indie pop. But I can accept other genres and themes too since I'm still exploring all the different things in life after moving here."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Luke maintained, causing Wanda to chuckle in anticipation of his performance.

They continued to chat as they walked, their conversations flowing effortlessly. Luke found himself stealing glances at Wanda, still marvelling at the reality of their budding relationship. Each time he looked at her, she seemed more radiant, more 'real' than his wildest dreams had ever painted her.

'I truly am a lucky person. Thank you for this second chance, editor-san.' He thought as he winked to the unsuspecting observer from a higher dimension.

(E/d: What in the?! Did Luke just break the fourth wall?!)

Reaching the entrance of the Peach Blossom Café and making their way in, they paused at the foot of the stairs leading up to the upper floor. Luke turned to Wanda, a playful glint in his eye. "Dimly lit café, and we know for sure we aren't the only nor the first ones here. So, you ready for the surprise?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face.

Wanda returned the smile, her earlier shyness replaced with playful confidence. "As long as you're by my side, absolutely."

With that, they made their way up the stairs. The dimly lit stairway and silence on the upper floor only caused the anticipation to build further. And as they reached the top, a scene that occurred an hour earlier had happened once again.

"SURPRISE!"

- End of Chapter 87 -

Next time in *C88 - Until I Found You.

Under the device's effects, Tony struggled to move, to speak. "Obie. . . What. . .?" He managed to choke out, his voice strained.