I don't own Young Avengers

Breaking What Doesn't Need Fixing

The streets were familiar, the same as back home. He flew through them, eyes darting left and right in search for any sign, any lead that might help them. Finally he came to a stop and closed his eyes in concentration. He tried to sense it, feel it, only to come up empty handed. Going farther would be pointless, he knew, and so let out a resigned sigh. He was thus out of things to do, and with time to spare before the others were done, but that begged the question - what was a teen superhero to do in a reality alternate to his own?
Wiccan scratched his hair under his hood while he counted his few options. He could always go back to the ship, he thought, as much as he disliked that. Thankfully for him, another choice presented itself when a panicked scream tore through the air. He moved before he could even think about it, reacting to the threat. Three muggers and one victim, nothing a tiny bit of Chaos Magic couldn't fix...
He left the scene as quickly as he arrived, grateful he didn't accidentally turn them into frogs like in the last reality they visited. Hiding nearby, he watched NY's finest earn their donuts, and once he was satisfied the situation was under control he turned to leave.
It was then he realized he wasn't alone.

"Good job!" The cheerful voice greeted, stopping him in his tracks, a chill running down his spine.
"That was smooth, I guess training with Strange has been paying off, huh?"

The speaker - a girl about a year his junior walked up to him, increasing in size until she was back to normal. She wore a black mask that framed her bright blue eye, her hair in a ponytail. Her outfit was peculiar, but the design was unmistakable - it was a match to the Avengers' Ant-Man. He recognized her even before he saw her, but actually facing her knocked the air out of his lungs.

"But next time, leave some for the rest of us, alright? I'm dying for some action."
She moved around him, oblivious to his thoughts and feelings. "I have to say, though, I almost didn't recognize you. What's up with the new outfit? Don't tell me you're going solo on us? After what I got for being in the Initiative and Hank's Avengers..."

A tiny gasp left her next, stopping the flow of words when she thought she heard a- sniffle? She blinked up at him, finally realizing his shoulders rocked on occasion. Between the darkness of the alley they were in and the fabric covering his face, she could just barely make out how he was biting his lower lip. Worry took over.

"Billy? What's wrong?" She hesitatingly touched his arm, and he was torn between running away and crushing her in a hug.

"Nothing, I'm fine, it's just-"
Finally he reached to pull back his hood, and silently took in how her eyes widened at his appearance, not that different yet obviously not the same as what she was used to.
"I'm just happy to see you, Cassie."

The girl took a step back and seemed to carefully consider her words. She stared at him for a moment before frowning.
"There's a story behind this, isn't there?"

He nodded.
"A long one."

She didn't shy away, instead seeming a mix between suspicious and curious.
"Well, the night's still young. And you owe me for getting my bad guys."

Her pout made his insides turn to knots and a small, fond smile rose to his lips.
"Fair enough", he concluded and followed her someplace they could talk, all the while thinking just how much he missed her.

"So since when do you have an earring? ...and is that earring Teddy's?"

He really did.

–

The waitress placed the drinks on the table and left to serve the other clients in the diner. The two teens were clad in civilian clothes thanks to Billy's magic, and waited until the waitress was out of earshot. It gave Cassie the time she needed to process what Billy had already told her.

"Another reality, you say..." The girl repeated and tried to wrap her mind around the explanation. Billy nodded from across the table. He wasn't sure how wise it was to tell her the truth, but he never was known for having good ideas, and every other explanation seemed inadequate. And besides - he couldn't outright lie to her - not to Cassie.

"Yes. A lot of things are different where I'm from."

"Like what?"

His eyes narrowed slightly in a pained manner as he watched her, and he soon turned to his coffee.

"...things."

She was dissatisfied, but as he wasn't talking, she figured she should ask something else, and perhaps, more specific.
"How is it compared to time travel?"

Billy blinked at the question before frowning. "I think we can't undo ourselves, so there's that."

"Thank God for small mercies." Cassie snickered and reached for her milkshake. "Why are you here, then? Are you on a mission?"

He hesitated before nodding. This wouldn't have consequences like time travel, he kept telling himself.
"Not even we go reality-bouncing for fun."

That made the girl lose some of her playfulness and she leaned forward a bit. "Anything I can do to help?"

He was shaking his head before she even finished.
"No, it's something we have to take care of on our own."
A displeased pout was his reward for that refusal, one he could only smile wearily back at. Before he could say anything else though Cassie sat up and looked at him with excitement.

"That means you do have it where you're from... you know, the 'Young Avengers'?"

Billy stalled around a mouthful of coffee. He had no idea how to answer that, where to even begin. And of course, that story's conclusion...

"...should I take that as a no?"
The question snapped him out of his daze and he smiled softly at her curious pout.

"Not... anymore is the most accurate answer."

Her expression fell, turning first into a frown, then melting away into simple sadness. He watched her silently, his hand curling into a fist over his thigh.

"We're 'just' Avengers now, apparently."

"You're kidding!"
The exclamation, let out with the girl up on her feet, made everyone stop and stare. Self-conscious, she sat back down, hands in her lap, shoulders hunched and face flushed.

"Sorry..."

"Hey, it's understandable." He reassured and was grateful she returned to her usual self before long.

"We've been trying to get them to acknowledge us for years... what did you guys do, take on... Doctor Doom?"

He couldn't help but wince at that.
"...yes." Was Billy's eventual reply, seeing as it wasn't a lie.
Cassie moved from confusion to surprise to shock to denial to awe.

"You're serious."

"Yes."

Cassie leaned back, eyes wide.
"That's amazing! I wish I could've seen that!"

The words made him wince and grit his teeth.
"We didn't exactly get away scott-free, though."

That dampened her mood a bit, and he could see it in her eyes, all the questions she wanted to ask but didn't. He wondered how he'd have answered her - but she never asked.

"Not surprising, it is Doctor Doom." She concluded and stirred her milkshake with the straw.
"But hey, you're here, right? That's something."

"I suppose it is." Billy relented and looked at her again. She seemed thoughtful if a bit hesitant, but he failed to understand why.

"Penny for your thought?"

She scratched her nose before pursing her lips.
"What else can you tell me?" She asked, and he recognized that look in her eyes. He's seen it before, in his own world, and so knew to brace himself.
"I'm not sure, what do you want to know?"

That world's Cassie and his world's Cassie really were similar, Billy thought when the next question came. He wasn't surprised. Unnerved and uncomfortable, but not surprised.

"Was there an... incident? A couple of years ago? Between the Avengers and, um...

"The Scarlet Witch?" He continued. She frowned.

"I suppose there was."

Neither said anything for a long moment, both uncertain as to how to proceed from there. Finally it was emotion and instinct that won over, leaving better judgement behind.
"Your dad's doing ok, or so I hear."

At the words, Cassie's eyes widened, her whole body tensing.
"My... dad?"

"Yeah, he's working with the Fantastic Four - ah, you have that here, don't you?"

She nodded slowly.

"He's working with them. Can't really tell you more, it's not exactly public knowledge. Sorry."

The awed look on her face was roughly what he expected it to be, but what she asked next wasn't.

"But... why would you bring him up, all of a sudden?"

"W-why?" Billy stuttered and scratched the back of his neck. "Wouldn't you want to know what your family's doing in another reality?" He tried.

Cassie nodded slowly and nibbled on her lower lip.
"How about you, then?" She asked. "So I can tell my Billy when I see him later. Tell him I met him from another world."

Billy sputtered. "That would get him jizzing."

"See?"

Thinking she had a point, Billy crossed his arms and hummed. "Well, not sure the 'normal' family would be that different? But the 'extended' family, well..."
That seemed to have caught Cassie's attention, and she leaned a bit forward.
"Magneto wants us to call him 'grandpa'. Quicksilver is better than most of my birth-uncles."

"And Wanda?" Cassie interjected. "What about her?"

The interest was understandable, Billy reckoned and nodded.
"She was hard to find-"

Cassie's eyes widened again.

"But she's back now, and I suppose you can say we're bonding... when I can get close to her without being handed over to Satan..." He muttered with a frown.

"Huh?"

"Ah, just circumstances on this end, don't worry about it."

Cassie nodded reluctantly. Billy spent the silence watching her toy with the milkshake again before a familiar voice rang in his ear. He frowned, making the girl rethink her next words.

"What is it?"

"...I need to go." He whispered regretfully before reaching for his wallet, using whatever means he had for stalling.
She held a hand up to stop him.

"Are we even sure your money works here?"

"...not really."

She smiled softly.
"I'll give Kate a call, have her pick me up, so don't worry about this."

"Good ol' Kate." Billy snickered and rose to his feet. He stalled, then, looking down sadly at her. He didn't want to leave her.
A bit confused as to 'why' while acknowledging what was there, Cassie stood up and spread her arms.
She couldn't remember the last time anyone held her quite so tightly and desperately.

"It was good to see you again, Cassie." Billy whispered, voice unsteady enough to be broken. She nodded slowly against his shoulder but before long was left on her lonesome.
Having called Kate, she tried to make heads and tails of what she just heard while she waited. It somehow felt like more than just a series of unrelated events. Becoming Avengers after fighting Doom, finding Wanda, and then Billy bringing her dad up without her asking about him, in relation to that...

"There you are." Kate hummed, sitting down where Billy was just moments ago. She eyed the still-present empty cup of coffee before quirking a brow, a fond smirk on her lips.
"Anyone I know?"

"Sort of..." Came the distracted answer Kate never quite managed to respond to.

"We have to get the guys."

Kate blinked at that statement before frowning. She leaned forward, one hand reaching over the table for her friend.

"What happened?"

Kate's concern was met with nothing short of grim determination.

"Wanda, she-"

"Wanda...?!"

Cassie looked up, fists clenched and a spark in her eyes.

"I know where the Scarlet Witch is."