margenes | · OPEN POST ·

Oh, Wanda...

[he sits up carefully, his hand on her face, bringing her close for another tight embrace.]

I'm so sorry. [in sokovian,] I love you. I'm home. I won't go anywhere, I promise.

[Maybe she shouldn't squeeze him too tight in this state, but she'll deal with that later. She can't not hug him for dear life, face burying into his shoulder, practically in his lap for all her clinging.]

I love you, Pietro.

[Words she hasn't said aloud for anyone to hear in far too long.

She doesn't know how this happened, but she's not losing this. She's already given up so much. Not him. Not again.]

We won't be separated again.

[it's just like when they were children. their bursts of rebellion came from a deeper grief, of having last their parents; there were days when it was too overwhelming, especially for wanda. pietro always saw himself as the one who had to protect her, to hold her tight and make sure her tears wouldn't be seen by others. it's private, it's personal—these emotions.

at least, despite it all, he feels complete. with her here, finally reunited.]

Stay like this as much as you need. [he knows it's important. he brushes her hair on her back.] It is very comfortable.

[he'll tease her a bit, though.]

[She's missed the teasing so much. It doesn't make her laugh aloud, but it does soothe something her, and after a little bit more of crying and clinging onto him she manages words.]

What did you hurt, clumsy?

Well, doctor said I shouldn't be walking since I slept so long. Muscles are all soft and weak, but I couldn't just sit and wait. Not when you needed me so badly.

[with a light pinch of his fingers, he dries any tear stains on her cheek.]

Just sore all over. I'll get better with some rest.

You're really not smart sometimes, you know that?

[The words carry far too much fondness to be insulting. If he hadn't found her, she might have never thought to look. Why would she?

She can't help but keep looking at him, taking in the face she hadn't seen outside of her memories in so long.]

I am incredibly smart on those other times, yes?

[he takes it not as an offense, rather curries it to his favor. all this staring is making him feel a little awkward; he knows he's handsome, wanda! do you need to stroke his ego like that? he'll only be insufferable from here on out.]

But, really, why are you out here in this place?

Pietro.

[Freshly reunited, and he's making her roll her eyes. She wants to tease him, but the question derails that.

There's... a lot to explain. She doesn't know how to begin, or where, so she just decides to actually answer his question for once.]

I made a very big mistake. I'm... dangerous, Pietro. It's better for everyone and myself if I keep some distance.

[She's far beyond what he last saw.]

[this is serious now. pietro assumed that there had to be a reason why wanda was being cagey about answering his questions. he's finally gotten her to the point where she will consider giving him an answer.

he grabs one of her hands, and holds it.]

Everyone makes mistakes, and dangerous is just a word. Anyone with a gun is as dangerous as anyone with powers.

[but what... exactly...?]

What happened?

[Wanda grasps his fingers, looking down at their hands and shaking her head.]

It's beyond that. I took a town hostage, Pietro. I controlled their minds. It was agony for them.

[The scary part is that she hadn't meant to hurt anyone at all.]

[with her hand held in his, he brushes his thumb over her knuckles. if she won't look him in the eyes, at least he can remind her through touch that he's right here and he isn't on anyone's team but hers.]

Surely not on purpose?

[except every time wanda practiced her magic to manipulate others, she was fully aware of what she wanted to do.]

You should start from beginning. I'm not sure I follow.

You're dead.

[That's the beginning, right? Wanda's brow furrows.]

You... were. I didn't have a home anymore. I went with the Avengers, to America. I became one of them.

[Welcomed, even though she'd wanted to destroy them.]

[how morbid, sister. but he gets it—he had been dead for long, far as anyone was concerned. far as he was concerned. he's not entirely sure how his side of the story panned out, especially when wanda was not aware of him.]

And they treated you well?

[—better than being by herself, surely.

pietro can imagine how bad it must have felt, to be working with stark, of all people, but he has the impression that perhaps clint and even captain america must have been caring enough.]

[She nods. It's maybe not worth getting into the accords. It's the past, now. A far distant past even if it doesn't really feel that way to her, sometimes.]

But you weren't there.

[No matter how warm, how welcoming, how much they tried to be her family and make the compound feel like home, it wasn't. She felt so out of place. It's why she could understand Steve, and why she and Vision got along so well.

They're gone now, though.]

Wish that I could have been.

[he is sorry about that, but apologizing won't make any of them happy, and it's going to sound like someone's shifting the blame somewhere, when it isn't really the fault of either of them.]

America, like we had always dreamt... [well, through sitcoms] Tell me more, Wanda.

I will. I just...

[Have to lean into him again, hug him, remind herself that--somehow--he's here. She can feel him breathe. He's warm. If she stays still enough, she can feel his heartbeat.]

I missed you all the time, Pietro.

[he allows it, these pockets of space that she needs to get her thoughts together, and he's all the more happy to be the target of her hugs. hugging her right back, he presses his cheek to the top of her head.]

I know.

[it eats at him how alone she must have felt, and how he was not there for her. he should have been a little more selfish, knowing that his life was not his own to give away in a flurry of heroism.]

But you do know I haven't showered in a few days, yes?

[bringing one hand up to her face, he looks down at her as he caresses her cheek.]

You can tell me later. I can do my best to be patient. [and they both know he sucks at that] What you need is more important to me, Wanda.

I know. You stink.

[It's a soft, watery laugh against him.]

You should take a bath. It'll help you feel better. Get you comfortable.

[He's a mess. She's a mess, but at least she's clean and smells like tea and grass, not sweat and dirt.]

[an eyeroll from his behalf, but her response wasn't entirely unexpected.]

I don't imagine you have clothes for me in here. [he glances about] Is there warm water or it has to be boiled in kettle?

I do.

[She can have anything she can conjure. Just don't wander too far from her or the little bubble she lives in.]

And I have hot water. Do you think I want to live like that?

Then what am I waiting for sitting here like a dirty baby?

[upwards he goes, gently jostling his sister off of him, using the back of the couch to hold himself up. stopping movement altogether makes his muscles seize up a lot; it's better than before, but it's still very bothersome.]

Who knows, though. This looks like a prison retreat. Show me where everything is.

[Very rude when she's still very much in shock. Wanda grunts, standing up and moving to take his arm.]

Slow down.

[She knows, she knows. Not his style.]

This way.

[Down the hall that maybe wasn't there when they first entered. But hey, at the end of it, after a door or two, there's a sizable bathroom.]

I'll make you pay for being rude once you don't look so pitiful.

[he kisses the top of her head again as they walk down the hall, a way to show his appreciation for the fact that she's bearing with him through all this.

it doesn't stop him from noticing that... hm—] This place looks bigger from the inside. [he turns around, then forward again.] You're doing something, aren't you?

[grinning, as if to say he doesn't really care to know.]

Listen, it is not my intent to look pitiful. I want to be in excellent shape again more than anyone else, trust me.

[Wanda doesn't need to confirm, but she does give him a little tip of her head. Of course she's doing something.]

Not more than me.

[She wants him to be healthy and well and clean and looking like the brother that didn't break her heart. On the bathroom counter, there's a folded stack of clothing. All for him, in his size, like it's always been sitting there. Waiting.]

Will you be okay on your own?

[he's in the bathroom already, going for the folded clothes to see what he's got to work with. it's surprisingly something he would pick for himself; comfort clothes for home, too. at her question, he leaves the clothes where they were and turns back around to her, putting hands on her cheeks and pressing a kiss to her forehead.]

I have not forgotten how to shower. Don't worry.

[ushering her out, he'll close the door and start about with cleaning up; without a shirt, he can see that his chest is already bruising (thanks, fast metabolism and body response to trauma) from his fall, and he knows he'll feel much better after a hot shower. which he takes (at max speed), changes into a new, fresh set of threads, and does actually take his time to both shave, comb his hair, and brush his teeth. how did any of these things make it here?

surely magic.

pietro steps back outside into the hallway feeling a lot more refreshed and all too curious to look around.]

Wanda?

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