Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author Note: Set after 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron' so spoiler alert.
THE EDGE AND SQUEEZE OF IT ALL
Darcy was listening to one of Erik's amazing rants about people stealing his equipment when the news filtered through – Pietro Maximoff was stabilizing. Darcy was friends with the God of Thunder and got to talk to Captain America on a regular basis so unbelievable was framed way differently for her now. But still, this, this completely awed her. Pietro had been dead; everyone at SHIELD HQ knew that. Darcy had heard about it soon after she'd arrived with Jane, fresh from conquering another country's scientific community.
Pietro Maximoff, super-speedster, had died taking way too many bullets for Clint and a child in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wanda Maximoff had lost her twin and Clint had gotten to go back to his wife and kids and enjoy a (sort of) retirement. Darcy smiled a little, an Avenger with a farm and a family. That was unexpected too and she never would have guessed it about Clint but she liked that, that he got to have that and make the choice to walk away from SHIELD to be with them full time. Clint was really good people. Darcy totally wanted to meet his wife.
Wanda Maximoff had these enhancements, these wacky way-out powers, and she'd used them to Frankenstein her brother. SHIELD had a ton of data back available to them again now that Ultron was gone but they still weren't able to properly quantify what Wanda could and couldn't do. Her limits were pretty unlimited and Darcy knew, because she spent a lot of her time around scientists and soldiers, that SHIELD weren't exactly happy about that. They liked that she was there, where they could see her, but the fact that they couldn't be definitive about her really bugged them and freaked them out too.
Wanda had come over from the dark side though and her brother was safe again, it looked to Darcy like SHIELD ought to be focusing on that, like making Wanda feel welcome and shit. They'd never been good at that, they were better at being forbidding and threatening. Darcy had her iPod back but she knew someone had been through it and really, what was she going to hide on it apart from some amazing playlists. She was glad that Jane had her space and funding and could show everybody how awesome she was but there was a lot about SHIELD that frequently set Darcy's teeth on edge.
It was lunch time and Darcy wanted to check in with Helen. Medical was frequently busy and Darcy did not want to get in the way or turn into one of those gawkers that stared at crash sites. But she also knew that Helen, like Jane, forgot to eat sometimes and it'd been a killer day after Falcon had swept in with some flood victims. Darcy was good at the refueling, she knew her strengths and one of them, finely-honed now, was making sure that the super-geniuses were fed and watered on a regular basis.
And yes, Darcy knew that even in the non-Hydra-infiltrated SHIELD, there were people who thought that Jane should have a 'proper' assistant, someone more sciencey, with more degrees. Jane had accepted more personnel but refused to give up Darcy, she'd been supported by Thor of course and Natasha had registered her vote for keeping Darcy around too which had been unexpected but really awesome. It wasn't like Darcy knew Natasha that well. Natasha had smiled slightly and had told Darcy that she was doing good work. Wow. So Darcy had the Avengers vote apparently but some boots on the ground and coats in the lab looked at her in a way that made her want to reach for her taser. She'd promised Steve she wouldn't though. Damnit.
It hurt, the judgey faces, the patronizing superiority. Darcy didn't always understand every word Jane said but that didn't mean she didn't understand everything. She understood Jane and the regular and proper maintenance of the badass scientists that were vital to SHIELD's work. She was good at scoping out media talk of SHIELD and the Avengers and what everyone was saying about them online; there was a whole wealth of warnings and information out there, from fans and allies as well as critics, if you knew where to look and how to extrapolate. Darcy offered something, okay? Something good. It was good.
Darcy loaded up a crate at the canteen, trying to blot out those thoughts. This was part of her maintenance of the badass SHIELD scientists, work that had spread out to now also include the badass SHEILD medics and security and all kinds of admin bods. It'd sort of grown once Darcy had noticed how often and eagerly non-scientists grabbed lunchboxes from her crate. So she had a system going; the catering corps filled up a ton of meal boxes three times a day so that she could deliver them to SHIELD personnel and they could eat regularly and on the go. Convenience was important and helped keep SHIELD going – see how Darcy totally offered something, lab minions. Also all the crate lifting and walking around headquarters was probably doing really good things for her arms and legs and everything else. It'd be good to be in shape the next time she had to run for her life.
Darcy headed determinedly for Medical. She checked that she wasn't interrupting major surgery or important research – she knew what those kinds of atmospheres felt like – and began handing out boxes, making sure that Marshall got a gluten-free one and that Kya didn't get any dairy. Helen smiled distractedly and made a note of something before accepting a box and bottle. She was trying not to jostle her stomach as she moved, she'd used her own really amazing regeneration equipment on it but it was still giving her problems. Not that she'd say that. Darcy noticed though and nodded towards a nearby chair.
"It's not like you want indigestion too, right?"she said leadingly.
Helen lifted her eyebrows but sat down. Darcy chalked up a victory and made sure that everyone had something to eat and drink. There were a few boxes leftover, there always were, and from the way people were eating, she guessed it really had been as killer down here as she'd heard. No one was wearing their 'we've lost someone' faces though. Darcy focused on the victories.
She also focused on how a small group of medics were clustered by one patient room. The door was closed and the medics were muttering together but they weren't going in. Okay, weirder than usual. Even when there was a really seriously problematic patient, there was always someone going in or out, checking and consulting and whatever, doing something. Darcy went to take a step towards them but Helen's voice stopped her.
"The twins, she won't leave her brother's side."
Oh, well of course not. Darcy projected this in her expression and Helen projected a little something back before continuing, "And my staff don't feel comfortable sharing space with someone who can make them obsolete and do things to their brains that we don't understand yet."
"Someone's been in there though, right? I mean, to check on Pietro?"
"Of course but like I said she won't leave and people want answers. If she's going to stay, we need to know what she's capable of."
Darcy frowned a little, that sounded a lot like they wanted to prepare for the worst, "She's an Avenger now."
Helen gave Darcy a long exhausted look and right, Helen had been mind-whammied by Loki's staff. Anyone could be turned or gotten to. Still, Darcy figured focusing on the 'how can we help them?' was more important than 'what if they hurt us?'
Darcy picked up a couple of boxes of food. The medics had mostly drifted away from the patient room, though a few of them cast looks back that read like worry and fear. Okay, mind powers, very freaky. Darcy liked her own headspace being private too, a lot. The thought of anyone in there was incredibly weird and made her skin crawl and feel very clammy. But she was pretty sure that wielding that, picking out people's fears and manipulating them, couldn't be fun either, even if the wielder volunteered for that duty.
Darcy peeked into the room. Pietro Maximoff was lying absolutely still and was plugged into a lot of different blocks of equipment. His heart-rate was fast, not exactly a surprise, but nothing was setting off any alarms so that was good. There was a little fold-out bed pushed up against the wall, so Wanda had probably been sleeping in there too. Right now she was sat on a comfortable-looking chair, definitely not Medical issue, and was focused completely on her brother. She looked like something out of a Brian Froud book; all sharp impish lines and angles, with lots of long dark hair and customized black and red clothing. She looked incredibly fragile and really alone.
Darcy's heart squeezed. Okay, she was going to do this. Steve and Natasha had vouched for them. And Darcy was good at this. She wanted to do this.
She knocked softly and pushed open the door. Wanda didn't move a muscle but she had to be totally aware of Darcy. She probably wanted to protect her brother from any threats. Darcy had learned that projecting an air of 'not a threat' was a skill in itself and she owned it. So projecting as hard as she could, she stepped slowly forward and placed the lunchboxes on the cabinet beside Pietro's bed.
"I don't know if anyone checked or not but I figured you're probably hungry so um that's a couple of rounds of ham and cheese, a rice salad thing that's a lot tastier than it sounds, some really cheesy potato chips, lime jello and I think an apple or maybe a pear. It's all good though and there's a jug of water here already, for hydrating."
Wanda twitched a look toward Darcy but didn't do anything. That was definitely a win. And since Darcy wasn't thinking about that unfortunate episode with her cousin or any of her friends and family dying horribly or Jane firing Darcy because she wanted help from someone in a lab coat with a relevant degree while everyone stared at Darcy, she assumed that Wanda wasn't messing with her brain. So far, so really good.
"I heard your brother's stable, that's really awesome, what you did for him. I don't know if anyone's said that either but it was, awesome. You're a really good sister."
Wanda's gaze wandered again but she didn't look angry. Had anyone actually talked to her about this? Darcy was almost certain she knew the answer and it made her skin crawl. Okay, she didn't want to wear out her welcome so she edged towards the door.
"Let me know if there's something different you want for dinner or some music or whatever. I can probably make it happen. I mean, I can try. It's my super power, enhanced ability."
Darcy left the room and closed the door very carefully behind her. She gazed through the glass for a moment, looking at Wanda looking at Pietro. They were both as good looking as their SHIELD file photos had suggested, wow. But it wasn't that detail that Darcy lingered over. Wanda's love for her brother, her gatekeeper dedication, that Darcy knew. It made her heart squeeze.
Okay it was time to access another of her enhanced abilities. Research time.
The files on the Maximoffs hadn't exactly grown much since Darcy had last accessed them but she looked at them anyway. Horrible death of parents and traumatic survival by the twins, check, understandable hatred of Tony Stark, check. Volunteering for the Baron's seriously creepy lab time, check. The only associate listed before the Avengers was Ultron. So they didn't have a wide circle of friends, or any circle at all. They'd only ever had each other and they'd nearly lost that.
Maybe they didn't want anybody else but they should have the chance to decide, to know that what the West could offer was more than just fights against ridiculously scary opponents and the inevitable inter-team squabbling. They should know about an actual non-Avenger life. Steve was still figuring that one out for himself, Sam and Rhodey had that locked down and according to the rampant SHIELD gossip; Dr Banner had been part of Natasha's personal life before he'd done his disappearing act. Darcy wondered if she should offer Natasha a really big bottle of something strong, Jane had friends who made something stronger than vodka. As for the Vision, he was still learning about existence and humanity and honestly, sometimes he seemed more pulled together than everyone else. He was a really good conversationalist, Darcy appreciated their talks.
Darcy stared at a picture of the Maximoffs at a rally together, mid-shout. Pietro had a fist raised, both of them looked completely determined, sort of raw in their anger. Yeah.
Darcy wasn't a miracle worker, she knew that, but she wanted to do something. Maybe they didn't know there was another way to have those powers – they didn't have to be under a literal or figurative microscope. They shouldn't have to be. Her heart was still squeezing.
That evening, she visited Pietro's room again. Wanda was awake, the lunchboxes were open and she was munching slowly on a pear. She'd managed most of the sandwiches and rice salad and all the jello but had rejected the potato chips. Okay, noted. Darcy smiled. She tapped on the door before entering.
Wanda half-turned her head. Darcy gave a tiny dorky fingerwave. "Hi, so no chips. Anything else?"
Wanda spoke, a stream of quiet but very distinct words, all in a language that Darcy didn't understand. Darcy laughed self-consciously, "I have no clue what you just said but it sounded amazing. Sokovian?"
Wanda gave a single sharp nod, her accent heavy when she spoke, "Brown bread."
"Brown bread, okay. I will get on that. Is there anything you...need? Overnight, I mean? Blankets, a radio? More pillows, I need three sometimes."
Wanda bit into what was left of the pear, her gaze studying Darcy. Darcy fidgeted though stilled when Wanda's fingers splayed and then paused. A few SHIELD reports had noted how Wanda seemed to channel her power through her hands. Was she reading Darcy's mind now? What was she trying to pluck out?
Darcy didn't hit her panic button, not yet, she stayed right where she was, her gaze locked with Wanda's as Wanda frowned slightly as though trying to work something out. Darcy thought about meeting Thor and how he and Jane had ended up having this interdimensional love affair and how Erik had later gotten mind-whammied and how the whole Loki experience had made everyone nervy about any kind of mind powers. Darcy was thinking helpful things, definitely not focusing on how pretty Wanda looked in the dim light or how unfairly pretty her brother was. Definitely not.
"What are you trying to see?" Darcy asked at last, her voice quiet and a bit trembly.
"I do not read, not now, here. I see the shape of moods, the feel."
Darcy's eyebrows shot up, "You want to know how I feel?"
Wanda's eyes narrowed slightly and Darcy stayed still until Wanda began to move again, leaving the core of the pear in one of the boxes. Darcy let out a deep breath. She didn't feel any different, just warm. That wasn't a bad thing, was it?
"So did I pass?" she asked, her voice a little high.
Wanda's mouth moved, it wasn't exactly a smile but it was something that wasn't blank or negative so that was good. Darcy tried not to grin too broadly back but she couldn't help smiling.
"You are very..."
Wanda tailed off and Darcy picked up the sentence, "It's a good 'very,' right?"
She kind of wanted to hug Wanda or even just pat her shoulder but Darcy didn't need enhanced abilities to get that that probably wasn't a great thing to dive in with. She'd ask though, at some point. Maybe once the wariness had factored down a bit, on both sides.
She cleared her throat, "So I'll see you tomorrow with breakfast."
"You will come back."
There was a world of questions and curiosity in that statement, like a ton of experiences that made Darcy's heart squeeze all over again. Darcy nodded, "Is that cool?"
Wanda looked at her, with that charged careful silence and nodded back. Okay. "Okay, so good night. Good night, Pietro."
Darcy raised her voice a little at the end. It probably sounded lame but her Aunt Patricia had known someone who'd ended up in a coma and their friends and family had all been told to talk because everyone was pretty convinced that the person in bed would hear them. So, it would have been rude not to say something to Pietro.
Darcy went to bed having logged a reminder on her phone to look up Sokovia, it's language, traditions and lifestyle. She wanted to help.
Breakfast was definitely the most important meal of the day so Darcy ate hers first, doing a lot of reading on her phone. Then she made sure that Jane was loaded up with food that wasn't going to make her crash spectacularly later – she'd be mainlining enough caffeine anyway. Jane had marker pen smudged across her fingers and that light in her eyes that said she was onto something. Darcy would start making notes around eleven, Jane had minions for most things but Darcy liked to make some hard copy. It seemed pretty essential after the whole Ultron episode.
Darcy did her usual breakfast run, making sure everyone on shift had something to eat. She avoided Director Fury's office because he had a P.A. and frankly the man was pretty intimidating in a non-Hydra way. Darcy didn't know many people who could pull of that eyepatch look without making people want to crack up.
Lastly, she went to the Medical wing and watched as a nurse checked Pietro's vitals. They didn't talk to Wanda before they left. Darcy quickly entered the room and offered an open box containing brown bread and butter, cheese and sliced cold meat as well as more fruit. It captured Wanda's attention, then she darted an unreadable look towards Darcy. Okay, explanation time.
"So I did some reading and I figured this is all crazy enough and maybe you'd like something homey? I know it's not the same but maybe a near miss is still good?"
Wanda looked at the box and nodded her head. Then she began constructing her breakfast, the first mouthful seemed to go down well. Darcy's hand twitched in the miniest of fist pumps. Seeing Wanda respond like that made Darcy's heart squeeze in a different way. It felt awesome.
Wanda turned, her mouth full again, to look at Darcy in a sort of measuring way. Darcy shifted a bit but held Wanda's gaze. It was a good feeling, Wanda seemed like she might think so too because her mouth did that thing again, like it could have been a smile maybe. And Darcy was focusing on Wanda's mouth a lot right now. Was that coming across in her mood, in whatever Wanda was reading? Wanda didn't look offended or upset; Darcy wasn't going to say anything though. Wanda's twin was still unconscious, freshly back from the dead.
"Okay, enjoy. I'll see you later, bye Pietro."
"Thank you," Wanda raised her voice enough to be heard.
Darcy did another tiny fist pump and didn't talk to anyone in Medical about it.
So she thought Wanda was pretty, not a shocker, and Wanda probably knew and didn't seem upset. Darcy was still going to bring her meals and chat to her. Company was good and Wanda didn't act like Darcy was in the wrong place. Wanda was dedicated and completely interesting to Darcy.
Darcy buried herself in online work, taking notes for Maria Hill about the Avengers current public image online and how it had changed or evolved since the previous week. It probably seemed frivolous but whatever, the Avengers needed people on their side and the whole Ultron thing hadn't helped. There were a lot of people pissed at Tony, understandably, because Ultron had definitely looked like something from out of his workshop, but there were people who were still staunch Avengers supporters and a lot of them were organized. There were forums for requesting and offering help post-New York and now post-Ultron, there were theories expounded and dots joined up, sometimes in the right order. Darcy read it all and took notes and could see like a network, formed independently of SHIELD. It felt like a good thing, ears and eyes out there that weren't officially affiliated, just in case.
She also read the nasty stuff that was posted, looking for threats and probable problems. She had to read through a lot of Avengers hate, some personal often disgusting stuff. That was not fun and she had to go straight to YouTube afterward or do some crocheting or knitting to rinse her brain out.
Her notes done and emailed off, she checked in with Jane, dropping off snacks and coffee, and then headed off to see Maria Hill who had a really nice office now and was always dressed like she meant serious awesome business. Darcy still lived in jeans and t-shirts, Jane's work demanded ease of movement and comfort and so so did Darcy's. Still, she wondered what'd it be like to be able to afford a Maria Hill kind of wardrobe.
Maria was finishing up a phone call when Darcy knocked on her door, she signaled for Darcy to enter. She was already scrolling through Darcy's notes at impressive speed.
"There's some interesting movement on the east coast."
Darcy sat down, "Yeah, it seems like they've got things really organized down there. No one's wearing a cape yet but the teamwork's good. The cops appreciate it."
"For now."
Yeah, Darcy would protest that but okay, the cops weren't always the Avengers' biggest fans. Maria carried on going through Darcy's notes, asking questions, asking for more comment, until she got to the end and paused before stating,
"You've been spending time with the twins."
Unexpected but Darcy nodded, her confusion probably clear on her face, "Yeah...That's okay, right? Helen didn't say anything."
"Officially, they're both Avengers. Unofficially, we don't know what Wanda Maximoff is capable of and that makes people nervous."
Right. Darcy frowned, "I take her food, she doesn't talk much. She's focused on Pietro."
"That makes people nervous too."
Darcy's frown deepened. "Because she cares about her brother."
"Because she did the impossible and brought him back to life. Because we don't know what lengths she'll go to for him."
Darcy chewed her lip, her stomach rolling. That sounded pretty damning, like Wanda was a bomb about to go off. SHIELD didn't all think that, did they? It was a thought that sort of blotted everything else out.
"That's...okay, he's all she's got and she nearly lost him. I'm pretty sure Thor would do the same for Jane, and Tony would-."
Maria cut her off with a significant look. Okay so those kinds of bonds were bad? Because of what could happen? Love and blood before duty? Well, yeah, obviously. Only that probably wasn't what a government wanted to hear. Darcy's insides twisted painfully as Maria Hill finally spoke.
"SHIELD is under an impossible kind of scrutiny right now and the fact that two of Ultron's allies are now on our side doesn't sit well with everyone."
Darcy's eyes widened, struck by a sudden horrible thought, "You can't split them up."
"And probably prove all their critics right, I know. But there are a lot of other government bodies that would love to get their hands on a pair of enhanceds and they've got the political clout that we've lost. Let me know if you see or hear anything that could help."
Darcy left the office in a daze and went to find Erik. He'd finished the experiment he'd been working on that morning and was looking through an enormous pile of papers. Now he took one look at her and asked her what was wrong.
Darcy sat down, her thoughts whirling, "I think Maria Hill just told me to spy on the twins."
"Why?"
Darcy's expression twisted, "Because people are freaked out by their powers and what they might do for each other, like Wanda's already done, and because other government creeps would like to arm themselves with some enhanceds."
God, what if the armed forces got hold of them? Fuck. Erik didn't look completely shocked. He poured her a coffee, "We are under scrutiny now."
"I know but I can't spy on my friends."
"The boy is still unconscious; you've not known the girl a week."
"But I want to-."
Darcy's gaze dropped sharply. Erik waited a moment before speaking, "You want to know them."
"Yes."
Erik was looking like he'd quite like to be having a very different conversation but didn't try to get out of it. "So maybe you ask instead of SHIELD. Not everyone wants to get to know them better."
There was a dismissal right there and Darcy drank the rest of her coffee before leaving swiftly after. SHIELD wasn't Hydra anymore but it was still a government agency and Darcy spent a lot of time doing research which included SHIELD's files, she knew not everybody agreed with Director Fury's way. If she could talk to Wanda about her powers, her intentions, maybe SHIELD would edge back. Every tiny thing could help and Darcy really didn't want to lose them.
When she went down with lunch – more sandwiches and red jello this time – Wanda was looking listless. Her expression seemed to lift when she saw Darcy, Darcy smiled in response. Then she noticed how Wanda was sitting, how she was holding herself. Darcy knew that posture – she'd often seen Jane keep herself awake through sheer willpower alone. It wasn't good.
Had Wanda even used the bed they'd set up in the corner for her?
"You need to sleep, Wanda," Darcy said quietly. "Really."
Wanda shook her head, "He won't be alone."
Darcy's heart squeezed and she stepped forward. This was the kind of thing she was here for, "He won't be. You sleep. I'll stay right here. If he wakes up, I'll wake you, okay?"
Her hand sort of hovered near Wanda's shoulder as Wanda looked at her and then twitched a shoulder like an encouragement. So Darcy dropped her hand and squeezed Wanda's shoulder. Wanda actually seemed to lean into the touch, which was amazing.
"You will wake me."
"I will."
Wanda got up abruptly, Darcy's hand falling away, and touched her brother's cheek before walking quickly over to the bed set up for her. She lay down, her exhaustion really clear, her eyes fixed on Pietro until they closed. Darcy let out a breath, sat down in Wanda's chair and texted Jane to let her know what was going on. Assuming Jane checked her phone in the next couple of hours. And it wasn't like everyone wasn't under surveillance now.
Darcy watched Pietro breathing, actually on his own, which was great. She felt like she could watch him for a while, he really was as pretty as his sister. There was a thought to hold onto.
Darcy cleared her throat and hesitantly touched the bedclothes, not his skin though. That felt kind of invasive.
"Hi, Pietro. So I'm Darcy, your sister has been here since bringing you in and she wasn't sleeping so she is now. Hope you don't mind the company. I figured you'd probably want her sleeping regularly."
Darcy's gaze fell across the machines that seemed to be helping Pietro heal, "Helen, that's Dr Cho, says that from the tests they've been doing, your healing should be accelerated like everything else and you'll be opening your eyes soon. Wanda's worried, she hasn't told me but she won't leave your room. She's been really dedicated."
Darcy trailed off and fished her phone out, distracting herself with a couple of rounds of Fruit Ninja. She was talking in an empty room but maybe those friends of Darcy's aunt were right and he could hear her. Maybe he wanted to know how everything was going. It wasn't exactly a hardship to sit there looking at him. In the videos she'd seen of him, that had actually captured him not going at a million miles an hour, he'd been dynamic, really drawing the eye, just like Wanda. Darcy had seen Wanda properly smile with her brother, only once but it'd been very sweet.
So it was possible Darcy had two crushes. It wasn't like it was for the first time.
"Clint's off the team now, well he's not full time anymore. He has a family; I'm going to meet them soon. His youngest has your name. Clint seems happy, I don't know, it's weird, the super-spy with a wife and kids. I guess a lot of films lied to us. But it's awesome because apparently it completely threw Tony. Steve told me all about it."
Darcy settled back in the chair, wishing she'd brought her crocheting. She wasn't making anything in particular at the moment but she could make a jacket for Wanda, long sleeves, hemline to her waist, a pattern like a glittering spiderweb. It'd work with her style, something to make Wanda smile. And she could knit a blanket for Pietro. They didn't have anything except the clothes they were wearing and this room was sterile and blank.
Darcy tried to imagine that, having nothing but a sibling and the clothes on her back. Wanda had to know that she wasn't completely trusted, that people were scared of her. God. It made Darcy frown and tense. She blew out a breath; those probably weren't the vibes to be sending out towards Pietro.
She settled again, "I'm glad you're here, you and Wanda. It's...it's not always fun and people think they know me and I'm glad you're here. I mean, I'm just bringing food and conversation but I hope it helps."
She kept talking off and on for a couple more hours until she realized that Wanda had woken up at some point and was peering at her intently. Wanda looked relaxed and interested. Darcy's heart squeezed. Really? That was, that was nice to see. She smiled tentatively, not wanting to break the moment. Wanda didn't get up or start talking, she let Darcy continue until Darcy's phone beeped. Right, it was time for her to go check on Jane.
"Same time tomorrow," she told Wanda, because Wanda really needed to sleep.
Wanda nodded, "Thank you, Darcy."
Darcy cleared her throat a little and said "You're welcome," in Sokovian. Wanda's gaze sharpened and Darcy's heart squeezed even more.
"Did-did I get that right? Sorry, did I say something bad?"
Wanda shook her head slightly, her interest incredibly clear now, "Not bad."
Okay then. Darcy's mouth felt dry and she licked her lips reflexively. "Okay, so I'll bring dinner later."
Wanda replied in Sokovian and then said in English, "Yes, later."
It sounded like a promise and wow. Darcy's smile went all warm and how she was feeling was probably all over her face and mood. But Wanda wasn't running. Her mouth was curving just enough to make Darcy's heart feel all squeezed again. She flicked a hand against the bedsheets as she turned to go.
"Good talk, Pietro."
She knew that Wanda's gaze stayed on her as she left. That was really fine with her. Really.
"You convinced her to sleep."
"Yep. Every day for a few hours."
Maria Hill looked faintly impressed, which was an achievement. Darcy plowed on.
"She doesn't want Pietro to be alone so I sit with him and she sleeps. It works."
"She's eating and sleeping regularly because of you, Darcy. And it'll help convince people that the twins are actually flesh and blood, not hybrid creations of Stark's."
"People think that?"
Because Tony did do crazy things like invent an A.I. that wanted to destroy mankind. Okay. Darcy shook her head.
"Okay, I kind of love and hate that that was a stupid question."
Maria's mouth twitched. That was definitely a Maria smile, awesome. "Keep doing what you're doing."
"It's not all that much."
"It's more than we had before. It might help shut down calls for an interrogation."
Fuck no. Darcy's face must have telegraphed that well because Maria looked like she might agree. "The government and world security council have given us a lot of leeway and right now, they can't pin as much as they want to on Stark so they're looking for any answers they can."
And the twins who'd attacked the Avengers were a good bet. Darcy hissed through her teeth. Maria didn't disagree.
Darcy brought her crochet bag into Medical and started work on her cobweb jacket idea for Wanda. Darcy had a great glittering wool that would work for it, and she'd started work on something blanket-sized a while ago that'd be good for Pietro. Her blankets were always going missing. She was pretty sure that Clint had stolen them, he could have just asked.
When Wanda wasn't sleeping, she watched Darcy work, how quickly Darcy's needles moved, how she cursed when she slipped up, how she sang along to her iPod. Darcy chatted to Pietro, about the Avengers – he only knew them from fighting against or beside them really so Darcy told him about how Tony liked 'improving' everything even toasters when asked specifically not to, what a good curry Dr Banner had once made her, how Thor was her favorite because he made Jane really happy and he gave great hugs and even though their worldviews were literally worlds apart he and Jane just worked really well together and he treated Jane better than anyone she'd dated ever had before.
She talked about how Steve shocked people sometimes with the things he said, like he actually did a lot of research on the internet and just pretended to be oblivious before unleashing some knowledge to freak out Tony and Clint. Steve was awesome.
She talked about the work she did online, how she reported to Maria Hill and worked out how people saw the Avengers. She talked about her feed SHIELD program and a bit about how people looked at her sometimes but she moved on. She talked about how amazing Pepper was and how much she wanted to meet Heimdall and how badly Erik had been affected after New York. She talked and Wanda often listened and Pietro probably did too.
Darcy finished the jacket after lunch one day and offered it to Wanda. Wanda looked at it unblinkingly before looking at Darcy, as though seeking an explanation. Darcy's heart did the squeezy dance and God; she really wanted to hug Wanda. She started talking instead.
"I made it for you, thought you might like it."
Wanda's fingers reached and curled at the edges of the jacket, her gaze returning to Darcy. "A gift."
"Yeah."
Wanda nodded to herself and accepted the jacket, running her clever hands down it before shrugging off her current jacket and putting the new one on. Darcy had got the size almost right and the glittering wool looked really good against Wanda's other clothes and her skin. Wanda examined the strands and didn't look like she was going to stop touching it. Her eyes were bright when they turned to Darcy again.
"Thank you, Darcy."
"You're welcome," Darcy replied in Sokovian.
Wanda's mouth almost certainly smiled and it was amazing. She reached for Darcy's hand and squeezed it. She'd never initiated contact between them so boldly before. Darcy squeezed her hand in response; her heart was echoing the motion. Wanda didn't let go. Okay then.
Jane frowned at her drink, Darcy drained hers with relish, "I know, there's a lot I need to talk to her, them, about. Really a lot."
"Them."
Darcy favored Jane with a look, "Oh I've totally told you about Mark and Frankie."
"You did..."
Jane didn't look completely convinced and Darcy signaled the barman for a refill, "During the Norway forum."
Jane's face cleared as she mentally connected everything up, "Right. But they weren't enhanceds or related or-."
"Or possibly without any kind of relationship or dating experience, yeah." Darcy accepted her refill with a smile of thanks. "No reason to hit the brakes though."
"No. No reason at all."
Jane clinked her glass against Darcy's and Darcy smiled, she had the best ever super-scientist genius best friend who was dating a god. Darcy had started to think about Wanda and Pietro's possible dating history – when would they have had time while plotting revenge on Tony and relying only on each other? But time could still be made – Jane managed despite her crazy work ethic - and maybe a date, a fuck, was what they'd needed sometimes, away from everything else. That made sense too.
Darcy wasn't going to broach the subject. Was she interested? Hell yes. Was it any of her business? Nope. Nothing had been red-flagged in their SHIELD files. They could tell her if they wanted, she'd listen. It was only fair, right?
"SHIELD want to know what you guys are capable of."
Darcy spoke into the quiet of Pietro's room. Another chair had recently appeared there, Wanda hadn't said where from. It was set beside her own seat so she and Darcy sat side by side now when Wanda wasn't sleeping. Darcy worked on the blanket for Pietro, Wanda sometimes spoke, in Sokovian and English. Now she looked at Darcy, eyebrows lifted for an explanation. Darcy spoke pretty good Wanda.
"Your powers are awesome but they scare people, like how you got Pietro free of bullets and breathing again. They're scared of what you could do next."
Wanda didn't look surprised. Darcy wondered, not for the first time, what kind of treatment Wanda and Pietro had received from Hydra. Had it hurt a lot, the experiments, getting their enhancements? How had Hydra trained them afterward? Had the twins always known how they'd probably scare people? Darcy moved a hand close, touching Wanda's knee, then her arm. Wanda's head dipped closer, brushing against Darcy's.
"You are scared."
It was a slight question. Darcy immediately dropped her knitting and locked her fingers around Wanda's.
"Worried, I'm worried because these are supposed to be the good guys and then they weren't for a while and people I liked were bad news all along and now, they're all supposed to be the good guys again. I want them to trust you and Pietro but I'm not good with trusting them, with you."
Wanda stared at her for a moment, then her free hand touched Darcy's cheek, like an exploration. Her hand was warm and dry; there was no tingle of powers. Darcy didn't really expect there to be; Wanda hadn't given her any reason to expect it. Darcy drank Wanda in and pushed herself forward to meet Wanda halfway when Wanda began leaning in. Their mouths met, it was pretty chaste. Chaste was a good word, the kiss was warm and sort of careful like Wanda was trying it out. Darcy kept it slow and raised her free hand to stroke fingers into Wanda's hair. They stayed that way for a little bit, totally on view to anyone outside. That really didn't matter.
Darcy sighed softly as the kiss ended and she and Wanda parted, though their fingers stayed locked together. Wanda didn't look freaked out, a plus. In fact, she looked pretty contented, her posture relaxed, her gaze running over Darcy like she liked what she saw. Had Darcy done that? Because that was awesome. She was pretty sure her smile and her mood was telegraphing that pretty strong.
"So that was awesome," Darcy started off because someone had to say it. "I'd really like to do that again. I like spending time with you guys and I'm pretty sure I want to kiss your brother too."
Wanda looked as though this wasn't shocking news to her. Right, it almost certainly wasn't. In fact, she looked kind of pleased and satisfied, "Good."
"Yeah?"
"Very."
Wanda kissed Darcy firmly and then disentangled their fingers so that Darcy could keep on with her blanket knitting. Maybe she didn't want her brother missing out. Wanda stayed close though, her fingers exploring Darcy's knee, her jacket, distracting but never outright teasing. It was more like she was curious and wanted to know though maybe she wanted to drive Darcy a little crazy too. Darcy liked the glint in Wanda's eyes. Darcy couldn't stop grinning.
"Your sister rocks," she told Pietro.
He didn't answer but Darcy was sure that he'd agree.
Maybe Pietro had heard because less than two days later, he woke up. Darcy was working in Jane's lab at the time, she had a desk there. Darcy had done a coffee run and was scrolling through some results that Jane wanted her to collate and to highlight anything hinky. Darcy didn't always understand the data but she knew by now what was hinky and what wasn't. She was moments away from hitting print and getting her highlighters out, because there should always be a reason to get the Day-Glo highlighters out, when an email pinged in. Helen wanted her to know that Pietro was actually awake now.
Darcy fist-pumped, she didn't care who saw her, and whirled around on her chair. Jane wasn't wearing her 'this is a crucial moment' face so Darcy rolled over to her, her insides doing a really energetic dance.
"Pietro's awake."
Jane paused, then her expression lit up. "That's unbelievable, what Wanda did shouldn't have been possible."
"I know, right?"
Darcy knew that her grin was giddy and that she was getting a few looks and comments from Jane's science minions but so what, this was awesome news. Everyone at SHIELD knew that. Jane was frowning at a figure on her whiteboard now and that kept Darcy way grounded. She knew this dance.
"Okay, I am going to work on your data. I have new highlighters, color?"
"Not orange," Jane replied distractedly, not looking away from the board.
"I'll be here 'til lunch."
Because Wanda and Pietro needed some twin time and Darcy was not going to interrupt that. She emailed Helen to thank her for the heads-up and to say that she'd be there at lunchtime. Darcy hoped the Medical staff weren't going to hog Pietro's first waking moments; they needed their readings and his answers to their questions but he probably needed to see that his sister was there, whole and unhurt beside him. Probably the last thing he remembered was the fight against Ultron.
Darcy focused on Jane's data again and hit print. Highlighters would be a great distraction. She uncapped Day-Glo yellow and green and got to work. There was definitely something on the fifth line that looked like the data that'd once got Erik seriously disgruntled in three different languages. It'd been epic. Darcy plugged one of her earbuds in, only one because it was good to keep an ear on the lab in case Jane needed her, and hummed quietly as she worked, spreading papers across her desk and eventually onto the floor as well. There was a lot to take in.
Her phone beeped suddenly and wow, it was time to do a lunch run. Darcy scribbled a note and left it on top of Jane's most recent readout pile – Jane was guaranteed to see it there – before heading to the canteen with her knitting bag hefted over one arm. She loaded up with lunch crates and delivered, checking in with security because Carlo had recently developed a food allergy and she didn't have all the details yet. Her heart was squeezing and her mind was definitely pulling towards Medical and maybe she was dropping off lunch quicker than usual but come on, Pietro was awake. Eventually, finally, she was heading into Medical.
Helen was talking with an intent-looking knot of personnel. She broke off when Darcy approached.
"You've got half an hour until his next check-up," Helen stated.
One of her colleagues started to protest but Helen didn't even look at him, talking over him to Darcy, "He's in better shape than he has any right to be. His body's healing at an incredible rate but he needs to take it easy for a while longer."
From what Darcy had seen and heard of Pietro, that was probably a losing battle. She smiled, stacking the remaining lunch crate onto a nearby desk "I'll do my best."
Carrying a couple of lunchboxes, she made for Pietro's room, ignoring some of the ugly comments going on behind her. She had way more important things to focus on now. There he was, still lying down, still attached to all those machines, but his eyes were open. It actually made Darcy's breath catch in her throat. Pietro was awake. Wanda had somehow managed to squeeze herself onto the bed beside him; their sides pressed together, no part of them intertwined. She was looking at him with affection and he was looking at her like if he looked away, she might disappear. They were a seriously good-looking pair. Wow. Darcy didn't think she was ever going to get tired of the view.
And maybe she wouldn't just get to look. That was a fucking thought. Darcy could feel it melting warmly through her veins.
Wanda noticed her first, of course, and tilted her head in invitation. Darcy pushed past the door and found herself favored with a couple of very intent gazes. Her mouth curled upward and she waggled the lunchboxes.
"Beef on brown bread, orange jello, fruit, chocolate, pasta salad."
She put the boxes down on the bedside cabinet, dropped her knitting bag at her feet and didn't know how close she should get. What had Wanda told Pietro? Pietro was smiling at her a little. A good start. Darcy smiled the same smile back.
Wanda held out a hand and Darcy immediately stepped forward to link up with her. That answered that question. Pietro watched them.
"It's good to finally meet you," Darcy told him.
"We meet before, you talk a lot," Pietro replied, his accent as moorish as his sister's.
Darcy's eyebrows shot up, "You heard me?"
Pietro looked amused. "For sure. You talked and did not think that I hear?"
Darcy shrugged a little as Wanda squeezed her hand, "I talk a lot, people ignore me round here. I didn't know if you'd hear me but I wanted you to know the good stuff, you know?"
Pietro nodded slightly, his eyes fixed on her. "I listen, thank you."
Darcy smiled even more and glanced at Wanda who drew Darcy's hand close to press a kiss to it. Darcy's breath caught again. This was, yeah, pretty much a new dream come true. She sat down abruptly and kept hold of Wanda. There were some things she needed to get out before anyone came in to break things up.
"SHIELD's going to ask you a lot of questions. You and Wanda freak people out, they want to blame someone for Ultron."
Pietro frowned, "And they choose us?"
"Oh, they want to pile everything onto Tony. What you guys can do has blown people's minds though and after Wanda brought you back to the land of the living, people want to know how far your powers go."
Pietro shifted a little. "People are scared."
Darcy nodded and really wished she could hold his hand too. She rested her free hand on the bed for now.
"Right. So there's going to be questions and tests."
"You do not like this."
Apparently Pietro didn't need his sister's powers to pick up on Darcy's mood. Her smile came out crooked. "I don't like that they're going all 'worst case scenario' when you helped save people's lives out there."
Darcy didn't like the fact that maybe there were people in SHIELD that felt the same way about Steve, because he was enhanced too and maybe Thor was under the same scrutiny as well. The Avengers saved the world with their powers and this was the thanks they got? Fuck that. Darcy got being cautious because Tony had created Ultron after Wanda had amped up his fears but she also got where both had been coming from. Didn't SHIELD understand context? Darcy didn't like the control that the government apparently wanted of the Avengers, she couldn't really see Director Fury going for it either but she also couldn't see him giving the team a free hand either.
Pietro's smile was crooked too and he reached out to wrap his fingers around Darcy's. Her pulse jumped; his hand was cool and dry. Darcy's heart squeezed pretty happily.
"You talk and I wonder who the voice is. Wanda talk then and now, she say you are Darcy, you try to speak Sokovian, you bring food that we might like, you make her gift."
"I'm making you one too; it's kinda not done yet."
Pietro's smile lifted significantly at one corner. Wanda took over the conversation, "You do not ask questions. You are unhappy because SHIELD want you to do so."
Darcy startled at that because she definitely hadn't said that to Wanda. Was it that obvious from Darcy's mood? Or maybe Wanda and Pietro knew because of where they'd been trained and what they might have been asked there. Great, more links between SHIELD and Hydra. Pietro's fingers dug into hers.
"I like your voice," Pietro states simply. "I like how you talk about Wanda."
Darcy dipped her head in acknowledgment because of course, Wanda was awesome and Darcy liked talking to and about her. Now Wanda was tugging on Darcy's arm, wanting her close to...okay, this was actually happening. Awesome. Darcy flicked a glance towards Pietro but he just looked expectant so Darcy leaned in to kiss his sister, a lingering warm moment. Wanda made a pleased sound; Darcy sort of echoed it and they ended up smiling at each other.
"I like that you are here," Pietro continued, as though it was the next logical step. "That Wanda likes you here too."
Was there any non-awkward way for Darcy to say that she wanted him to like her presence in the same way that Wanda did? Because Darcy's opinion of Pietro hadn't changed now that she'd actually had a conversation with him. He was as magnetic as he had been in the on-file video clips, his bluntness totally appealing. Darcy hadn't been put off at all. Okay, so she didn't know him but she wanted to. That was still true.
Pietro was looking at her like Wanda had done at first; like he wanted to know all about her, like he liked what he saw. Wanda was probably reading Darcy's mood and she wasn't pulling Darcy back or telling her this was a bad idea. So she was still happy with the idea. And fuck, Darcy had been wanting to kiss Pietro for a while now.
She leaned forward, past Wanda, tugging on Pietro's arm to kind of signal what she was doing just in case. His smile grew a little and he swooped in to kiss her, her mouth was hot, not careful but emphatic. He licked past her lips and Darcy laughed against his. He was moving fast and yeah, it wasn't like this should be a surprise. She could feel Wanda stroking fingers through Darcy's hair. Darcy's heart squeezed in the most awesome way.
"So..." she said, slightly breathless once she and Pietro had actually parted and Wanda was rolling her eyes at her brother and saying something about his need to rush, always. "This is happening?"
Pietro's smile was still in place, "Sometimes we like the same people, it works best for us. We like you."
It was that simple, huh. Maybe it was to them; maybe it always had been, back in Sokovia. That explained how at ease they were with the whole idea. Or maybe the whole recent revision of their worldview and experience of being back from the dead had just made them go 'fuck it.' Darcy wanted to know, of course she did, and her expression probably said that but she didn't ask. It was their business. They trusted her with each other; maybe because of whatever Wanda had read in Darcy's moods or whatever they'd both heard when she'd talked. It was still pretty huge, that trust.
"And I like you both, shocking, right?" Darcy grinned, wrinkling up her nose.
There was movement by the door and Darcy turned to see several medical personnel looking in and not exactly being professional about it, they weren't there for Pietro's check-up. Darcy set her jaw and let go of Pietro to pull her cellphone out. The personnel began to disperse. That's right, bitches, Darcy met regularly with Maria Hill and could probably call Natasha too, if she wanted to really scare someone. She thought about the comments she'd heard earlier, it wasn't like it was the first time she'd heard stuff like that. If she could just convince the pain she could feel spiking through her too...
"Darcy."
Wanda was looking concerned now, Pietro's expression morphing to mimic hers. Great. Darcy blew out her breath and shook her head.
"People get ugly and stupid sometimes."
The twins didn't look happy with the vague explanation and Darcy's expression twisted in response,
"What do they say about you?" Wanda asked Darcy, watching her closely.
Right. Darcy tried to shrug, kind of moved that they were so interested in her problems when they'd just been reunited. And it wasn't like she was obvious about it, she kept it locked down and maybe talked to Jane about it over drinks sometimes. Jane knew what it was like too. Wanda had a look in her eyes that Darcy knew said Wanda wasn't going to let this go and Pietro looked the same and okay,
"It's just, you know, the usual. I'm not a scientist or a soldier and so some people think I don't belong here or that I'm sleeping my way into a project apparently."
And fuck them for thinking it because Darcy had heard people say that kind of thing about Jane, that her work was probably really Erik's, that no one could look like her and come up with that kind of amazing work. Fuck them because Jane was a genius and Darcy was a fucking badass; she kept SHIELD running through mealtime deliveries and connected the dots and was totally a vital part of Jane's work process. She hadn't slept her way into any of that and it really bothered her that some of the good guys thought differently. Way to represent, guys.
Pietro bit out a sound that must have been a Sokovian curse and Darcy really wanted to learn it. Pietro traced patterns across Darcy's wrist and Wanda muttered a long string of Sokovian words before focusing her fierce gaze on Darcy.
"People."
Yeah. People. Sometimes it was like Ultron was right. But Darcy was holding hands with a couple of really amazing people who both wanted to date her, her best friend was working on the kind of projects that'd make the scientific community weep, Darcy was buddies with a god and with Captain America. Sometimes there was a lot more awesome to focus on, even when people, the ones who weren't Nazis or Stark-created cyborgs, were shitty.
"And we are not a project," objected Pietro.
"Some people around here still see Steve as a project; as something they need to figure out."
For their curiosity or for kudos and fame. Like that was happening. Wanda kissed Darcy, lingering and firm, her hand digging into Darcy's hair. Darcy pressed closer, one hand staying interlinked with Pietro's. Yeah, they were right, it was better this way. Darcy concentrated on that.
Later, Pietro and Wanda ate their lunch as Medical staff checked everything and asked questions and God, there was so much stuff that they weren't saying. Darcy watched and accepted a spoonful of orange jello from Wanda. Eventually the medical personnel left, with the kind of looks at Darcy that set her teeth on edge and she had to force herself to remember the good stuff again. While the Maximoffs finished their lunch, Darcy unwound her blanket from her bag and picked up where she'd left off.
Pietro watched with interest, he asked more questions than his sister and they ended up talking about a lot of weirdly different topics. She talked about the way that gossip could be used to help SHIELD and the Avengers while ironically undercutting people inside of SHIELD. She mentioned there was going to be talk - Pietro and Wanda were currently sharing a bed so a few people were probably going to say that they were fucking. Pietro and Wanda looked spectacularly unsurprised at this and didn't move an inch.
"Always we hear this. It can be a weapon; we are told as we train, because people will not look for anything but this rumor, it will help us complete missions. But we know the truth."
That was not a response that Darcy had expected. Incest as a weapon, who knew? Darcy could see it though, people got stuck on stuff and that was it, snow blind. Darcy knew the truth too though. She launched into a story about a guy and a girl that she'd dated a few years back, for a while she'd thought that they were cousins but it'd turned out to be a DMV snafu. It'd led to some really left-field conversations with her Mom.
By late afternoon, Darcy had left to swing by Erik's lab – he wanted her to look at some documents that'd come through – and Darcy also had an email to write to Maria Hill because Darcy, Pietro and Wanda had done some talking. She stated that Pietro and Wanda didn't know the complete extent of their powers; Hydra had still been developing them when the Avengers had come a-sieging. Pietro's were more obvious, Wanda's were more swirly and harder to define. It all came easy to them both; they liked what SHIELD had done, rescuing those citizens and wanted to help like that, to stop threats like Ultron in future. They'd told Steve the same thing.
Darcy didn't add how the government and the world security council could fuck off. She wanted to though and Maria would probably know that. She usually did.
That evening, Darcy arrived in Pietro's room with her latest attempt at Sokovian food. Wanda's fingertips were red and sparkly, it was mesmerizing; she probably hadn't done that around any of the medics. She'd done it in front of Darcy though. Darcy's eyes went wide, Wanda's powers looked amazing. She and Pietro looked pleased to see Darcy. Darcy's heart was squeezing spectacularly.
By the end of the night, there was a homemade blanket spread out across Pietro's bed, blue and black and silver.
-the end