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[margenes]

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[redchaos]

[So much for a peaceful retreat into the wild to figure things out.

Pietro is a ray of sunshine in the dark cabin, and Wanda spends less time thinking about what she's done and what she might be capable of now, and more time focusing on making sure her brother is happy and well. She makes sure he's fed, and tries to make sure he doesn't push himself too hard too soon. It's--unsettling, to see him tire so quickly or need to catch his breath so often, but she tells both him and herself that this will take time. All she can do is be that constant reminder that he needs to take it slow.

And, of course, whenever he's not eating or running, she's usually against his side. Or in this instance, his back, leaning down behind him to hug his shoulders as he removes his shoes.

It's cold and rainy out, but the cabin is suspiciously warm despite not having a source of heat beyond the stove in the kitchen. Even the porch.]

You smell like wet dog.

[Shh, she loves him.]

[margenes]

[these displays of affection are so common at this point that pietro does not even react to them anymore. it's comfortable and he simply rolls with it, but he draws the line at the wet dog insult.

raindrops drip down from the roof and onto his knees, and he leans back so that wanda goes along with the movement and away from any chances of getting wet (does it matter, though? he's all wet and she's hugging him without regard).]

I am wet and sweaty, you know.

[in an effort to stand up, leaving his shoes behind, he braces his knees and pulls his weight forward, somehow managing to get her to hang off his back (maybe the hands on top of her arms keeping her from moving might be doing the trick) as he furthers into the house.]

I will shower, and then you can leave dogs out of this.

[redchaos]

[Wanda doesn't struggle to get away. She just laughs, holding on for the ride. She's laughed more in the past few days than she has in a long time, feeling much younger, much lighter.]

Will you tell me how your run was before or after your shower?

[margenes]

Do I want to bother you with the details of it before or after my shower?

[wanda always asks, probably out of concern for him; how he is feeling, did he run into any trouble, how many breaks he took. it's not — unpleasant, but he also definitely doesn't want her worrying so much.

he sets her down on the hallway, turning around to hold her hands.]

I made it farther this time and I saw a mountain lion. Big fun.

[he kisses her cheek]

I will clean up and tell you more, okay?

[otherwise he's going to be dripping rainwater all over the hallway.]

[redchaos]

[She's his sister. She'll worry.

She makes a face at the mountain lion part--really?--but still leans into the kiss and gives his arm a gentle smack.]

Okay. And no rushing, remember? Enjoy your showers.

[margenes]

[it was big fun, did you not hear, wanda? he pretends to hurt at the (gentle) smack to his arm.]

Yes, yes. The more slow I am, the less it feels like time is going too slow, right?

[despite his joking, it has taken him a moment to really let it sink in the fact that there is no need to rush anywhere. there is no world to save, no riots to go to, no starks to be angry at. it's very, very different from the world he remembers before waking up.

and so, he takes his time (with the hot water, of course), and takes a moment to study the face that looks back at him in the mirror. wanda sure did an awesome job bleaching his hair and dyeing it; he's still happy about the novelty of it.

once dried and dressed, he walks (at a normal pace) towards his bedroom, but veers off at the last second to the door that sits at the very end of the hallway. wanda has insisted that they sleep in the same room—he doesn't mind—but he is a little curious about the one room in the house he isn't allowed into. her bedroom, right? what little secret is she hiding in there anyway? surely none.

pietro's hand is on the door handle, turning it, and he pulls the door to open it...!]

[redchaos]

[Pietro is like a child, sometimes. If it's quiet? It usually isn't good. And Wanda? Well, she moves quietly. Or maybe she just appears. Who knows? But she's stepping behind him, peering around his shoulder.]

Looking for me?

[She hasn't stepped into her bedroom much beyond grabbing a change of clothes.

Surely he's not snooping.

Besides, all the good things are up in the ceiling above them.]

[margenes]

[surely he is.

startling a little at her appearance behind him, pietro tries to play it cool, though he pushes the door closed in reflex.]

Not really.

[it's not a lie. he points at the door.]

This is your room, right?

[redchaos]

It is. Are you looking for something you think might be in my room, brother?

[It's asked pleasantly enough. She doesn't mind Pietro going into her room. There's nothing dangerous or incriminating in there, beyond perhaps a deed to a house in a town she can never return to.]

[margenes]

You know me, [casual, easygoing] always so nosy.

[he does raise an arm over her head and puts it over her shoulder, bringing her close.]

Why give me a new room when you had one yourself?

[it's been all this time and while pietro has practiced perfect patience, he feels like there is so much his sister hasn't told her. it makes him feel a little icky in his soul.]

[redchaos]

[Wanda leans into him, an arm going around his waist.]

There might come a time you want to sleep with a bed to yourself.

[... not that Wanda foresees that happening anytime soon.]

If you want to see my room, Pietro, you can just ask.

[margenes]

And that time will be when I can confirm there is no Baba Yaga in this forest with us.

[this again.......]

I do not want to see your room. [wait— he takes his index finger to tap just under her left shoulder.] It feels like you are keeping things from me. I missed the invitation to Wanda's heart emporium. [whatever that means.]

[redchaos]

[At least he's not calling her Baba Yaga. That's the only thing saving his side from getting a pinch. As it is, he'll never be able to confirm, so Wanda is in no rush to sleep in her own bed.

She frowns at him. It's not a very convincing attempt to play oblivious. Not to him.]

What could I be keeping from you?

[There's a list.]

[margenes]

[he makes a face, and looks at here as if to say really?; more than five years may have passed, but pietro can still read his sister pretty damn well—can tell when she fusses with her words so they come off as convincing.

it's the curse of being a twin. they've known each other since before they were born, there were (usually) no secrets between them.

pietro pulls away, towards the door, and pulls it open to help himself in.]

Nothing, I would hope, except I know nothing about your life between Sokovia and now. Perhaps it is not important, or maybe you do not want me to know.

[HE'S CHEATING pulling the guilt trip woe is pietro card, but he has been exceptionally patient, all things considered. and so, should he not catch anything particularly magical or strange in her room, he settles for the bed, wet head on the pillow.]

I understand, lil sis.

[redchaos]

[Wanda follows in after him. There's really nothing very exciting about the room. The bed is made, the sparse decor tidy, and when he flops on her bed she joins him, settling beside him to stare up at the dark ceiling.]

You're cheating.

[She'll call him out on it, hands folded over her stomach.]

It's not that I don't want you to know. It's that... [A lot of it wasn't good. A lot of it actually was good, and she'd felt guilty for being so happy when her brother was dead. And then Vision was dead.]

It's not important anymore. I have you back. That's all that matters, Pietro.

[She misses Vision and Billy and Tommy but that life in Westview wasn't real. This is.]

[margenes]

[when she joins him and admits to that there is stuff that she doesn't want to particularly talk about, pietro settles too similarly to her: feet crossed at the ankles, hands folded over his stomach, staring up at the same dark ceiling.

shared experiences and all that.]

Yes, I understand.

[he does, but—]

But you are sad. Between the happy, I mean. I can tell. You have me back, but what good is that if all I do is make you worry and run and eat your delicious food? [—it's like a tv episode—] Being your brother is more than that. It makes me feel less like a brother if I don't do my job right.

[redchaos]

You don't make me sad, Pietro. I love you. I just don't want you to feel that I... ever stopped thinking about you, during my good times.

[She didn't. She always missed him, always wished he could be there with her. When Steve showed her the silly tourist traps in New York, or Natasha dragged her out of bed to go find some suitable clothes for a girl her age in the city, she always wished Pietro was there, too.]

That would make me a terrible sister.

[margenes]

[pietro fidgets uncomfortably where he lies, maybe even pouting a bit. so it's guilt, then? guilt that she was a terrible sister because he wasn't there for her.]

What kind of brother would I be if I felt bad just because you made friends and had fun?

[he turns his head, to look at her.]

How do I explain... It is like a dish of lasagna, right? But you can only see the cheese on top, nothing else. You are missing out on the pasta and the meat and the sauce. What sauce is it and is it spicy? Is the pasta raw? [...this metaphor...] I only see the cheese, and it looks great. But I do not know if everything else is alright.

Does it make sense?

beautiful

[redchaos]

[Wanda squints up at the ceiling, trying to follow her brother's metaphor. She... gets it, actually, but.]

Are you hungry? Do I need to feed you lasagna?

[Why not deflect?]

i'm laughing at these two iuahhhf

[margenes]

[his expression drops to one of his more default Annoyed(TM) looks. she is obviously deflecting—and pietro feels conflicted, because...]

Yes, okay, lasagna would be great.

[...but...!]

But that is not the point right now. Wanda, you are too smart to act dumb.

[redchaos]

[She'll make him lasagna.]

You want to make yourself sad?

[She turns her head to look at him.]

Whatever I had after I lost you, I ended up losing, too.

[margenes]

[oh no, that does not bode well. pietro scoots closer to wanda and finds her hand, clasping it tightly with his own.]

What I want is to help you carry whatever you are carrying on your own.

[he brings her hand up to his face, kisses her knuckles.]

But if it is too selfish of an ask, I understand if you do not want to say more. [that's the other thing...] Your losses after I was gone may not be mine, but if you lose something, I want to lose it, too. I will not let you be alone through this now that I am here, Wanda.

[redchaos]

[He can't be so sweet and not expect her to break. Wanda turns onto her side, keeping her hand in his, and laces their fingers together. Gone are the assortment of rings, the black nail polish. Another life.

She watches his face for a few quiet moments.]

Do you remember Vision?

[margenes]

Big, red android man? Yes, I remember him.

[listen, if he knew better, he wouldn't just throwing adjectives at vision and see what sticks.]

What about him?

[redchaos]

[Well, Pietro asked for this. So.]

We fell in love.

[Maybe he'll think she's joking. She's not.]