The best place in the world, a wandavision fanfic

Westview was the best place in the world, especially for children. That's what Mom said, and Mom was always right. Even when she was wrong, she ended up being right. That's how it was with mothers.

At least, Billy supposed so. He didn't know many mothers. He didn't know many children either. There were a few in Westview, but Billy only ever saw them from a distance when they walked around the house with Mom or Dad. No children ever came to play in their street. The few times he saw a family passing through the neighborhood with a child, they always turned before their house.

One day, Billy share his thoughts with his mother.

"What do you want me to tell you, honey?" his mother shrugged. "They must have found a shortcut to the park."

The very next day, a family passed by their house, a father, a mother, and their two daughters, all dressed to the nine, while Billy was playing with Tommy in the garden. He immediately stopped playing.

"Look! Children!"

He ran to the hedge that separated the garden from the street, abandoning their game. His brother was great, but Billy wanted other friends to talk to, friends who didn't always win their games because they were faster than him.

"Billy! Watch out for cars!"

Billy nodded to their mother, who was tending to her rosebush nearby. As if he was in any danger. No cars ever passed in the street, except Dads when he came home from work.

"Hello! How..."

He stopped. The two girls, who were about his age, were clinging to their mother as if something was terrifying them. Tears were streaming down their faces. When Billy looked up, he saw the same was true for the parents.

"Hey! Is something wrong?" he asked.

The world vibrated.

Billy nodded to their mother, who was tending to her rosebush nearby. As if he was in any danger. No cars ever passed in the street, except Dads when...

Something was wrong. Billy stopped next to the hedge and looked over the family without saying a word to them. They passed, keeping their eyes fixed straight ahead. No one was crying. Why did he expect the family to be crying?

Wasn't one of the girls' hands shaking as she held on to her mother's? They were too far away to check. They were walking so fast they were nearly running.

"Gosh," Tommy said, stopping next to him without stopping his dribble. "I thought you wanted to talk to them. Did you scare them away, or were they too cute to talk to them? Close your mouth, you're going to swallow a fly!"

Billy shook himself. Mom continued to trim her rosebush, humming as if everything was normal. What just happened? Did he have an insolation because he didn't wear a hat? Had he imagined things? Billy wondered for a few seconds, then Tommy suggested they resume their basketball game. Engrossed in their game, Billy forgot about the incident.

It all came back to his mind three days later, under strange circumstances. They had just finished eating when Mom suggested that they all sit down in front of the television to watch a movie. Dad was just as enthusiastic about the idea as they were. Billy and Tommy sat right next to him, happily letting Dad use the remote control while Mom took the apple pie out of the oven. Billy's mouth was already watering.

"Let's see what's on TV tonight," Dad mumbled.

"Something family-friendly," Mom called over the counter, "something that appeals to children and has educational value."

"Sure, honey. Oh, there are three or four movies that fit your criteria tonight. Isn't that great? There's always what you want on TV."

"Even TV knows to please Mom," Tommy sneered.

"Careful, that sounds like insolence, and insolent people don't get apple pie," Mom threatened. "The pie's ready. You can start the movie!"

Billy frowned. It was true what Tommy said. The movie Mom wanted to see was always on TV that day, and they never missed the first few minutes, no matter how late it was. They even showed her old sokovian favorites.

"Just a sec," Dad said. "I want to see tomorrow's weather first. Oh, nice, it will be a sunny day. Well, kids, it looks like you're going to be able to play outside to your heart's content tomorrow! You know, I can't remember the last time it rained. Funny. There should be a shortage of water by now, but the lawn is still green. In fact... Wanda, dear, didn't we arrive in Westview in the summer?"

"Yes, we did."

Billy looked behind him. Mom sounded a little scared. In fact, she looked scared, too.

"You got pregnant in the summer. The kids were born in the summer. I can understand that they grow up fast, but by now, it should be at least the end of October! How can the weather be so beautiful for so long and no one cares? Scientifically it doesn't..."

Mom dropped the pie. It spilled onto the floor. Mom raised her hand. There was a red glow grew in her eyes.

The world vibrated.

"Even TV knows to please Mom," Tommy sneered.

"Careful, that sounds like insolence, and insolent people don't get apple pie," Mom threatened. "The pie's ready. You can start the movie!"

Billy frowned. It was true, what Tommy said. The movie Mom wanted to see was always on TV that day, and they never missed the first few minutes, no matter how late it was.

"Give me some room, boys, the pie's ready! Who wants some?"

Mom sat down next to Billy and passed the pie to Dad because he was the best at cutting pies. Plates and silverware floated over to them. Everything was fine. Everything was normal. Mom's hand rested on his shoulder. She kissed his forehead.

"Enjoy the movie, my darlings. It was one of my favorites when I was your age."

Everything was fine. Everything was fine.

Not everything was fine. Now that Billy knew what to look for, he noticed it more often, the world freezing, jumping, and starting again. It was like rewinding a tape, except the second time around, the movie was always different. Once it was a neighbor who said something that seemed to annoy Dad who would stop and start again, and Dad seemed happier. Another time it was Agatha, the very nice woman next door, who would stop and ask Mom if she had said the wrong line. There was the time Tommy had thrown the ball so hard that it got stuck in a tree, only to end up at their feet when Tommy suggested they climb the tree to get it. Once, it was Billy who had said something mean to Mom, without really knowing why, maybe to test the limits, and who had ended up across the room repeating his previous sentence in the blink of an eye. Billy was getting scared.

"Tommy?" he asked one night, turning over in bed. "Are you asleep?"

They had been in bed for a while and the lights were out. They were supposed to be asleep, of course, but Tommy immediately propped himself up on one elbow.

"No. What's wrong?"

"Don't you feel like the world is... strange?"

"Strange?"

"Have you noticed how sometimes the world stops and starts again? I mean, like a tape rewinding?"

"What?"

"Or in a video game, you save, you make a mistake, and when you go back to the save, instead of going left, you go right."

Tommy turned on the light and stared at him worriedly. Outside, a car honked.

"What are you talking about?"

So he hadn't noticed. Billy swallowed.

"Nothing. Must have been a nightmare. Turn the light off before Mom gets mad."

Instead of turning it off, Tommy continued to stare at him.

"Sometimes you're weird. Makes you wonder if we're really brothers."

He leaned over to turn off the light, but a noise outside made him stop. Their parents were raising their voices downstairs.

"Are they…?"

"Screaming?"

Billy silently consulted Tommy. His brother nodded, turned off the lamp, and climbed onto Billy's bed.

There was a trick to leave the room unnoticed: you had to avoid stepping on three specific slats in front of the floor. The only way to avoid doing so was to lean over Billy's bed to open the door, then take a big step to put your foot right outside. Tommy went first, then Billy. Once outside, they avoided all the creaking slats to sit on the first step of the stairs.

They've been right. Dad was screaming and Mom too. Since they were in the kitchen, it wasn't easy to hear the conversation, but it sounded like Dad was accusing Mom of controlling everything and Mom was blaming him in return for not trusting her. Billy leaned in a little closer.

"... immoral, that what is is, Wanda!"

"Blame me if you want, Vision, but I'm doing it to protect our family! You do not know what's out there."

"No, I do not, and I wonder why! I don't know what's stopping me from... Or rather yes, I do."

"Don't you dare!"

Tommy and Billy exchanged a worried look. They didn't understand what was happening, and they had never seen Mom and Dad argue. It wasn't right.

"We don't play with people's lives. We have no right to. But that's what you're doing, and people are suffering around us. It has to stop! I'm going to..."

Dad's voice choked in his throat. There was a red glow in the kitchen. The world vibrated.

Dad burst out laughing.

"I am so angry with you, Wanda! Did you really think you could hide the fact that you broke the microwave from me?"

"I swear, it's not my fault! Maybe the kid played with it? They don't always know what they're doing."

"Let me put my hand inside it. We'll see what I can do to fix it. But first, I have to punish you like you deserve."

The sound that came from the kitchen was the disgusting sound of two adults kissing. Tommy slammed his fist into Billy's shoulder.

"Ouch!"

"Is that why you made me get up? They're not fighting, they... they... Ugh! I don't want to hear adults kissing! I'm going back to bed."

"No, I'm telling you they were arguing!" Billy whispered. "They were talking about protecting us. Dad was angry... You heard them! You saw the world vibrate and change, like me!"

Tommy gave him a slightly condescending look.

"Sometimes I wonder what's going on in your head... Maybe if you slept more and thought less, you'd be more normal. Have you thought about that?"

Billy broke down. What if Tommy was right? Could he really have imagined everything?

"Hurry!" Tommy whispered from the door of their room. "I don't want to get punished because of you!"

Billy hurried to obey. Unfortunately, in his anxiety, he forgot the floorboards that he had to avoid. The floor creaked. Mom's laughter in Dad's arms stopped abruptly.

"Kids?" she asked in a worried voice.

The world vibrated.

"Tommy?" he asked one night, turning over in bed. "Are you asleep?"

They had been in bed for a while and the lights were out. They were supposed to be asleep, of course, but Tommy immediately propped himself up on one elbow.

"No. What's wrong?"

"Don't you feel like the world is... strange?"

"Strange?"

"Have you noticed how sometimes the world stops and starts again? I mean, like a tape rewinding?"

"What?"

"Or in a video game, you save, you make a mistake, and when you go back to the save... Hold on. I already told you that."

"What are you saying? I don't understand."

"The world rewinding. I just told you. Don't you remember?"

Tommy yawned, turning on the light.

"What are you talking about?"

Billy looked around. Outside, a car honked.

"We heard that car before. And then we went downstairs. Mom and Dad were arguing."

Mom's laughter came from downstairs. Tommy gave Billy a mocking look.

"Yeah, they're arguing. Do you need me to explain what adults do when the kids are in bed? You're such a baby!"

Billy curled up and put his head in his hands.

"I'm not a baby! And I'm not crazy!"

Tommy got out of bed and sat down next to him, giving him a friendly elbow on the shoulder.

"No, you're not. You're just the weirdest brother I could ever have, but since you're my only brother, I'll deal with it. Want my opinion? You shouldn't have had a second helping of ice cream. You know it makes your stomach churn. It's not your fault, you don't have my "exceptional metabolism", as Dad says. You had a nightmare. It happens."

"It wasn't a nightmare."

"A daydream, a nightmare, bad digestion... Don't care how you call it. I don't know. Do you want us to go ask Mom if she can sing you a lullaby or give you something for your stomach ache?"

"For the last time, my stomach doesn't hurt!"

Tommy's look betrayed his thoughts. Billy's brother didn't believe a word he was saying. Billy opened his mouth to protest, but then he noticed Tommy's hand was shaking a little on Billy's shoulder. He looked really worried, even if he didn't understand what was going on. Not that Billy understood much else. He bit his lip. If Tommy noticed nothing... Billy had no right to worry him. It must have been terrifying to feel like your brother was going crazy, almost as terrifying as feeling as you were. Billy put his hand on his stomach.

"You know what? Now that you mention it, I feel a little scrambled."

"I knew it! Do you want me to go get you something?"

"No, no need. I'll try to go back to sleep and if it really doesn't work, I'll go myself."

Tommy gave him a doubtful look.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Go to sleep!"

Tommy yawned until his jaw dropped.

"If you say it's okay... But if not, wake me up, right?"

"I will."

Tommy fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Billy hid under his duvet, but he couldn't close his eyes. He counted the seconds so as not to think about the world that was vibrating and changing. Finally, the door opened a crack.

"Is everyone asleep?" Mom whispered. "Tommy? Billy?"

Neither brother moved. Billy closed his eyes tightly so that no one would notice that he wasn't asleep, and tried to imitate Tommy's slow breathing.

"The Sandman obviously came by," Dad noted. "You worried about nothing."

"Oh? Is that the worrying-for-nothing expert telling me?"

"Slander now! Come on, love, let's go back downstairs. We've got this bottle of wine to finish and other things to do."

"Sure," Mom laughed. "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

The door closed. Everything was fine, Billy repeated to himself as he opened his eyes. After all, they were safe and healthy and living in the best place in the world. Westview was the best place in the world, especially for children. That's what Mom said, and Mom was always right. Everything was fine. Billy had just too much imagination and ice cream. Even if there was danger, Mom and Dad were strong enough to stop all the dangers in the world.

Knowing that didn't mean it was easier to go back to sleep. Billy got up to look at the window. It was nice to see all these identical houses with the lights going out one after the other. He could hear cars driving in the distance and birds singing. Everything was quiet. Everything was fine. Billy smiled and observed the stars blinking above the city. He could almost recognize the shapes of some constellations. If only he had his flashlight so he could consult his astronomy book...

Billy threw himself back and ran to sneak under his duvet and hid his head under the pillow, trembling. Behind the stars, the whole sky was red.