[he exhales a croak of a laugh at the thought that he died in her universe.]
What are you saying, that the one in charge of universes is afraid of us being together? I told you we would be scary after we got our powers.
[besides, he is starting to feel like himself a little more—to cope with jokes. what can he say? the fact that wanda is here brings forth the playful nature of his that he buried deep in his grieving.
at her question, pietro nudges her with his shoulder so she can see the inside of his jacket—which he pulls at—showing the stitching of the avengers' symbol. is he wearing his jacket the other way around? yes.]
Certified Avenger. Got benched a lot by the government, 'cause they thought I was a menace. But Steve and Nat treated me well. [a small shrug] I had nowhere else to go.
[That little A makes her feel sick. She covers up the urge to succumb to that feeling by snaking her arm inside his jacket to wrap around him, her own limbs cold and heavy despite the proximity.]
That sounds familiar. [There's a small smile of her own, but it fades quickly.] Natasha is dead. Steve is gone. Is that the same here, too?
Exactly that. I guess some things stayed about the same.
[he drops a hand atop her head, counts the number of people they've lost.]
Stark is dead, finally. He dies a hero so I'm weird for still hating him. Poor Vision got destroyed by Thanos. Thor's left for space. You know what is strange? Sometimes Scott Lang sends me text messages to check up on me. You know, Ant-man? Peter Parker's aunt let me crash at their apartment once. Kid was on a trip in Europe, so there was space...
[Some of that sounds like her universe, others not so much. The mention of Vision makes her chest ache, and before she can wonder if he's in some lab somewhere, she stops herself. It doesn't matter. It's not her Vision in this universe.
But this is her Pietro.]
I'm sorry.
[She hugs him, somehow managing to get closer despite already essentially being inside his jacket.]
[us, now. again. his arms wrap around her and he lets his hands rest on her back, locked together as if to say he refuses to let her go. he's flexible, though, should she want to move; he would never pin her down, nor keep her from going wherever she desired. pietro just wishes she wouldn't disappear entirely.]
Why are you apologizing?
[it all feels a little silly, now.]
Do I get to know what happened to you? How you got into "my" universe?
I'm allowed to be sorry that my brother endured so much.
[She only makes herself more comfortable against him, breathing out contentedly. He might have to pry her off him if he wants to move.]
I don't really... know. How I got here. It wasn't where I thought I'd be. I was... toying with things I shouldn't have. [... to put it lightly.] I'm more powerful than the Wanda you knew. That's the difference between us.
[And, you know. The copper hair.
How's that for answering without really answering?]
[there are so many things that made him doubt this was wanda at all, but she could look so much different, paint her hair blue, grow scales or wings, and he would still know. the emptiness is gone; that much is clear.]
I know that. You made that crown disappear with your powers just now.
[Well. That's another complicated thing, and she pulls back enough so that she can press her palm to his cheek. She doesn't know if this applies to this Pietro, but as far as she can tell their histories are the same.
So, this might change things a little bit for him.]
I'm a witch. It wasn't just the mind stone that gave me powers. And I think--I was able to keep you safe, prevent it from killing you. What I can do was in me all along.
[his expression goes from mild curiosity to full-blown skepticism. there is a joke on the tip of his tongue, but he manages to bite his cheek as she continues to explain.
it's all something that needs believing to consider it true, doesn't it? there is no solid evidence for anything, but it would make sense—wouldn't it?]
Witch... like baba yaga?
[listen, he's still a child in some ways.
he grabs at the hand on his cheek, pulls it down.]
Did you get in trouble?
maybe he wouldn't have died if he were, just sayin
[Baba yaga. Wanda reflexively scrunches her face, exhausted as she is, because he simply draws it out of her. But at his question, she frowns. Her hand twists to hold his.]
I did. A lot of trouble. I played with things that were dangerous, and people died. I killed people, Pietro.
[Purposely, violently. The memories make her stomach churn so much she thinks she might be ill, and she squeezes her eyes shut.]
[this is justifiably a little out of pietro's league. though the actions of himself and his sister always had an intrinsically violent nature to it, he supposes that he never saw themselves as actual war mongers, instigators, or even potential killers. it was all so far-off base for their reality, though they tethered that line so closely.
this is not something he can fix with a joke or with a kiss to her temple, but he pulls her closer nonetheless, cradles her head like he used to to console her; when he would keep the magnitude of foreign thoughts from seeping into her mind when she first got her own powers.]
I will not believe that you were not pushed to a corner. [he utters into her hair, gentle and steady. he has to be a rock now, more than ever.] You are still my sister, and I will do everything that I can to never leave your side again.
[In any universe, she thinks Pietro would try to give her the benefit of the doubt. Believe in her goodness. She's not sure what's left, what he can see, but the words have her squeezing her eyes shut and leaning into him as much as she can.]
Wherever a Pietro exists, there must be a very grateful sister. [She mumbles the words quietly, but knows he can hear them.] I've been fooled into thinking I found you again, before. But I know this is really you.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
What are you saying, that the one in charge of universes is afraid of us being together? I told you we would be scary after we got our powers.
[besides, he is starting to feel like himself a little more—to cope with jokes. what can he say? the fact that wanda is here brings forth the playful nature of his that he buried deep in his grieving.
at her question, pietro nudges her with his shoulder so she can see the inside of his jacket—which he pulls at—showing the stitching of the avengers' symbol. is he wearing his jacket the other way around? yes.]
Certified Avenger. Got benched a lot by the government, 'cause they thought I was a menace. But Steve and Nat treated me well. [a small shrug] I had nowhere else to go.
no subject
That sounds familiar. [There's a small smile of her own, but it fades quickly.] Natasha is dead. Steve is gone. Is that the same here, too?
no subject
[he drops a hand atop her head, counts the number of people they've lost.]
Stark is dead, finally. He dies a hero so I'm weird for still hating him. Poor Vision got destroyed by Thanos. Thor's left for space. You know what is strange? Sometimes Scott Lang sends me text messages to check up on me. You know, Ant-man? Peter Parker's aunt let me crash at their apartment once. Kid was on a trip in Europe, so there was space...
[anyway, he's kind of rambling.]
Nat and Steve hit hard, yeah.
no subject
But this is her Pietro.]
I'm sorry.
[She hugs him, somehow managing to get closer despite already essentially being inside his jacket.]
It's us, now. We won't lose one another again.
no subject
Why are you apologizing?
[it all feels a little silly, now.]
Do I get to know what happened to you? How you got into "my" universe?
no subject
[She only makes herself more comfortable against him, breathing out contentedly. He might have to pry her off him if he wants to move.]
I don't really... know. How I got here. It wasn't where I thought I'd be. I was... toying with things I shouldn't have. [... to put it lightly.] I'm more powerful than the Wanda you knew. That's the difference between us.
[And, you know. The copper hair.
How's that for answering without really answering?]
no subject
I know that. You made that crown disappear with your powers just now.
[which—] Why a crown?
no subject
So, this might change things a little bit for him.]
I'm a witch. It wasn't just the mind stone that gave me powers. And I think--I was able to keep you safe, prevent it from killing you. What I can do was in me all along.
[Him? She doesn't know. He's no witch.]
not her insulting him for not being a witch
it's all something that needs believing to consider it true, doesn't it? there is no solid evidence for anything, but it would make sense—wouldn't it?]
Witch... like baba yaga?
[listen, he's still a child in some ways.
he grabs at the hand on his cheek, pulls it down.]
Did you get in trouble?
maybe he wouldn't have died if he were, just sayin
I did. A lot of trouble. I played with things that were dangerous, and people died. I killed people, Pietro.
[Purposely, violently. The memories make her stomach churn so much she thinks she might be ill, and she squeezes her eyes shut.]
Worse than baba yaga.
cold, but true
this is not something he can fix with a joke or with a kiss to her temple, but he pulls her closer nonetheless, cradles her head like he used to to console her; when he would keep the magnitude of foreign thoughts from seeping into her mind when she first got her own powers.]
I will not believe that you were not pushed to a corner. [he utters into her hair, gentle and steady. he has to be a rock now, more than ever.] You are still my sister, and I will do everything that I can to never leave your side again.
no subject
Wherever a Pietro exists, there must be a very grateful sister. [She mumbles the words quietly, but knows he can hear them.] I've been fooled into thinking I found you again, before. But I know this is really you.