Present Day
Thor rushed down to greet the newcomers at the door, leaving Pietro and Wanda together with Pepper and Tony in the main living room of Stark Tower's penthouse. Pepper and Tony exchanged hushed words while they waited. Pietro averted his eyes from the obviously tense conversation and instead focused on Wanda. She lifted a candy into the air with her powers, flipping it over with flicks of her finger, watching it dangle and drop and rise again.
A flash of blue.
Pietro unwrapped the candy and popped it in his mouth, waiting for Wanda to turn so he could make some smug expression. Instead she sighed and leaned back against the wall. She folded her arms and stared at the elevator expectantly, almost excitedly. Huh. He sucked on the hard candy and made sure to keep his eye on who Wanda watched come through the elevator. Her mind rested elsewhere, away from Pietro. The older twin could tell because she never even glanced his way despite his unconcealed staring.
The elevator dinged. Tony and Pepper whipped their heads to the elevator and stepped apart. He guided her over to stand at the back of a couch, hoping to put some line of defense between Pepper and her long-lost niece. Mostly for the niece's sake.
Steve stepped through first. "They're on their way. Thor insisted on having Fandral push the buttons," he explained, glancing over to Wanda. The younger twin gave him a shy laugh. He crossed the room and struck up a position on the other side of Wanda, successfully shielded from Pietro's icy glare.
"Friends!" Thor's voice boomed. "Meet Fandral the Dashing, one of the best warriors Asgard has to offer!" Fandral smiled at everyone and bowed. Only Grey noted the discomfort in his eyes at the praise. She brushed her shoulder to his and then folded her arms and stared at the ground. Out of everyone's gazes, she only felt one on her. "And this," Thor continued, "Is Grey Lokidotter, the one to rescue Fandral from the terrors of Midgard!" After seeing Thor interact with his surroundings (mostly kitchen appliances), the Avengers all knew that surviving on Midgard without drawing attention was quite a feat for Asgardians. Grey offered a smile much like Fandral's.
"Lokidotter?" Vision questioned. He glanced over to Tony.
"No. Her last name is Potts," he corrected, casting his eyes towards Pepper. The woman watched Grey, who simply turned her eyes to the floor and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Which I still am not entirely understanding. Anyone care to explain? Anyone?" He opened up his arms, waiting.
"I was actually hoping for an explanation as well," Pepper spoke. The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Fandral turned to look down at Grey, touching her side, offering her a small smile, and tilting his head towards Pepper. Pepper folded her arms. Tony did not envy Grey's situation. Wanda felt the turmoil in Pepper and in Grey, so she looked over to Steve with begging eyes. The rest of the Avengers didn't need to be here for this conversation.
Steve caught her gaze and clapped his hands together. "Why don't you three discuss this while we go get dinner ready?"
Tony snorted. "I think F.R.I.D.A.Y. has it covered. Can't get away that easily, Cap."
"I did dinner better," Vision stated. Everyone's eyebrows shot up save for Tony, who actually laughed at the humor.
"Whatever you say, kid. Alright, get outta here you bunch of awkward freaks," he told them. He wished he could leave, too.
Steve urged Wanda forward first, leaving Pietro to trail after them with a dark look on his face. Vision followed, and then Thor. But the god halted. "Fandral? Are you not coming?" he asked. Fandral shook his head and shrugged. Thor nodded slowly. "Alright, then." He exited the room, leaving the four alone to shuffle in the suffocating silence. After a few seconds, Fandral broke it.
"You raised a brave warrior," Fandral informed Pepper. "You should hear about our first encounter - a true tale of her valiance. It was in London - ,"
"Grey," Pepper said. Fandral trailed off. He and Tony exchanged looks, and the billionaire just shrugged in defeat. He knew better than to try and talk in these situations. "What have you been doing?"
Grey swallowed. "I've been... learning..."
"You can give me a better answer than that."
Grey glanced at her hands, imagining the giant black paws. "Perhaps I should show you."
"F.R.I.D.A.Y. already showed us - I don't care about that right now. What were you doing when you ran away and just dropped off the face of the earth?" Pepper asked, voice cracking. Grey looked up, mouth trying to form some explanation. "I - I thought you were dead." She covered her mouth and shook her head. Tony place an arm around her, eyes wide at the sight of tears forming in Pepper's eyes.
"I killed those three people," Grey whispered. "I couldn't stay."
"You couldn't tell me you had to leave? You couldn't tell me what was wrong?" Pepper swallowed. "I know I'm not your mother, but I would've listened."
Grey stepped forward, "Pepper - ," She shook her head and walked away. "Pepper, wait!"
Tony caught Grey by her shoulder. "Why don't you go into the kitchen, blondie?" he addressed Fandral.
"I should stay with my friend."
"I'm fine, Fandral," Grey assured him. They stared at each other for a few moments before Fandral nodded and went after everyone else to the kitchen and dining room. Grey deflated once he left.
"Feeling pretty shitty?" Tony prompted.
"Yeah. Good observation."
Tony let his hand fall from her shoulder. "Trust me, I've been on the wrong end of this a lot, too. Just give her time. She'll want to talk eventually, it just... takes time." He furrowed his brow and scratched his neck. Time. "Let's focus on helping your friend. Everything will come together in time. Trust me, I'm fairly incompetent when it comes to relationships, but I've managed this far." He gave her a wide grin and then pointed backwards. "But I'm starved. Let's get some food before Thor and Robin Hood devour everything in sight."
With the arrival of Thor and his friend, who everyone assumed had just as enormous an appetite, what Vision really meant by cooking was ordering takeout. He dialed the numbers and requested the usual to be sent to Stark Tower. Most of the places responded quickly, familiar with this enormous call despite the long time between this one and the last.
Pietro looked into his cup and swirled the wine around. Wanda had lived two months without him, and Pietro felt the change even if she had not felt the gradual adjustment. Sure, she still sat next to him, but her attention firmly tied to Steve. The Captain entertained her with a story about him and a close friend when they were little, playing baseball in a parking lot. Pietro really didn't get the story, but Wanda laughed at it. He sipped at his wine. After a few seconds of thought he downed the rest. He stood and reached over to grab the bottle and refill his glass.
"Without food?" Wanda asked.
Pietro shrugged. The red wine filled his cup in a delightful sparkle. In Sokovia, like in many countries, it was considered rude to drink without food. "America," he replied simply. And he needed the drink to fuzz his own feelings away. He had no real reason to resent the Captain - in fact, Pietro truly did respect him. But right now he wanted to whip Steve into Central Park and leave him there with only his left shoe.
The door opened and Fandral stepped through with Pepper. Thor leaped to his feet. "Come join us!" he beckoned, pulling out chairs next to him. Fandral sat down, grinning at his friend. Pepper took her seat, completely silent. Vision watched her. He wanted to help, but he knew that sometimes a person simply had to let others work through their own problems. "You must tell me what has happened between when I last saw you and now! You simply fell from Asgard - Heimdall claimed he had no idea where you went and stated that he could not see you," Thor babbled.
Fandral's shoulders relaxed. "Of course!" The blonde warrior folded his hands together and leaned forward. "The first thing I did? I killed a Frost Beast."
"A Frost Beast!?" Thor exclaimed. Pietro flinched at the noise but kept his pessimistic thoughts to himself. "On Midgard? Did it come with you?"
Fandral laughed and shook his head. "According to Midgardian records, it had been tearing through London for days. It kept killing people with its great feet, smashing holes in building, crushing the streets. Horrible, really." He delved further into the story, regaling everyone listening with vivid details and wild feats. Grey entered the room with Tony, who veered away to take his place next to Pepper. Fandral jerked his head to Grey. "Do you need anything?" The softness in his voice made Thor blink.
"Wha? No, no. But thanks, man." She gave him a smile that even Pietro could see through. Fandral hesitated before Grey gave him an awkward gesture to continue on - the Asgardian took the hint and sprung back into his tale with enough gusto and flair to take everyone's attention off of her and place it on himself. Everyone except Pietro. Seeing the only empty chair at the end of the table next to the Sokovian, Grey slipped into it. "Hey," she greeted. "Thanks for not killing me earlier."
Pietro chuckled. "No one has ever thrown up before - why kill you when I can have some fun?"
She grimaced. "I'll keep an eye on you."
"Can't. I am too quick."
"You're sure confident, aren't you?" she commented with a grin.
Pietro smirked back and shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Pretty women's attention does that to me." He felt Wanda look at him. Again, now he has her attention. "Have you met my sister Wanda?" he asked, gesturing to her over his shoulder.
"Not formally, no. Uh..." Grey sort of waved at her around Pietro.
The older twin glanced back at his sister with pleading eyes. Hiding a scowl at him, Wanda smiled and reached around her brother to shake Grey's hand. "Wanda Maximoff. Pleasure to meet you."
Grey leaned forward to take her hand, bringing her close enough to Pietro that when he stared down at her with a smirk and raised eyebrows he could see her blush. "Likewise - I'm Grey." She leaned back, a bit further from Pietro than before. Wanda then smacked Pietro's shoulder.
"Oi! что?" Pietro asked (Translation: What?). It hadn't hurt or been a very noticeable gesture, but right now he just felt pissed at the world.
"Знаешь что!" (You know what!) she hissed. Why did he have to flirt with every pretty girl he met?
Pietro rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. But as long as you're paying attention tell me please, how long have you and Captain been dating?" He didn't know whether he meant the words to come out as chilled as they did. But the moment the question left his lips Wanda bristled. Although, he didn't care to retract anything. "Or were you planning on never telling your brother anything about your personal life?"
Steve looked up with wide eyes. Grey glanced between the two glaring twins and suddenly found her silverware very interesting. "A month, now," Wanda snapped. Surprise lit Steve's eyes, and maybe if it weren't for the hostility crackling between the siblings he would have smiled at the affirmation of their relationship.
"And you wait until now to tell me?" He had been out of the infirmary for three weeks. Fully healed for an entire week - conscious for how long? Their conversation devolved into quick Russian, only the words "мудак" and "k чертy" fully pronounced to Steve and Grey's untrained ears. They many not know much Russian, but they recognized the "important" words. They made eye contact.
"Hey, Fandral!" Grey immediately called. The twins snapped off their heated conversation and focused on the Asgardian warrior down the table, fumes practically steaming from their heads. "Why don't you, uh... uh..."
"Make some toast?" Steve piped in.
Thor, Tony, Pepper, and Fandral stared at them like they had three heads between the two of them. "Well, if Captain America wants... toast...?" Fandral trailed off. He had never made toast. "Then... I will try..." He stood and bowed before backing away to the kitchen counter. Vision accompanied him, eyes watchful of the inexperienced Asgardian. The last thing he wanted was the fire alarms going off.
Tony asked Steve, "Why do you need toast, exactly?"
"It's... too cool of an evening...?"
"Do you have any candles and sweet n' lo?" Grey asked. "We can start a fire on the table."
Fandral turned around. "I have no idea what I am supposed to do," he confessed, raising his hands in defeat. Vision let out a sigh of relief.
"Why don't we all help?" Steve proposed. "All of us!"
"Fandral needs our help!" Grey said with conviction and leaped to her feet. Steve followed her motion "Let us go to him!"
"As long as you don't leave for good," Pepper put in, staring at Grey. The younger woman sat back down and folded her hands in her lap. Steve looked between Grey and Fandral, fingers twitching. SOo much for that. He needed a new distraction.
Then Pietro muttered something. Wanda whipped around and hissed, "I thought you were dead! I never knew when you would wake up - I could either live grieving for you or move on! I thought my brother would want to live my life - was I so wrong?" Fandral's eyes got wide and he turned back to the toaster. Vision watched the twins, worry on his features. Tony and Thor shrunk down in their seats, faces paling at the strangling tension.
"I need help?" Fandral asked, voice small and unsure.
"You could at least act as if I still exist!" Pietro snapped at Wanda.
"I take your nightmares from you, and this is how you thank me?" Wanda leaped up and stormed out. Steve pushed out his chair followed after her, concern written all over his face. After a few seconds Pietro cursed and zoomed out of the room.
And then the fire alarms went off. Vision looked back to Fandral, who had his hands raised. "I do not know what I am doing!"
"Why would you not ask, as is the logical thing?" Vision questioned.
Tony requested, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., it's just toast burning. You can shut the alarms off."
"Yes, Mr. Stark."
"This was an eventful supper," Thor declared.
Fandral leaned back. "I do not think you are helping the tension."
"What was that all about?" Tony asked. "The twins - and you, too, Pepper? I feel like I'm the adult here." Again, did not help the tension. Pepper got up and left too, mouth a tight line. She gave Grey a cold glare before exiting the room. Vision tightened his own lips and stared around at his dwindling companions, wondering how the human race had not already destroyed themselves. Grey set her head down on the table and just sat there. Tony imitated her.
Fandral scratched his chin. He paused, and then, "Should I continue to burn toast?"
Grey's shoulders shook with laughter. Tony turned around and pointed at him. "No. Bad god." Then he knocked his fist on the table. "Grey, up." She lifted her head and met his gaze. "You know what? I didn't really connect with you before now, but I now see our common ground. Do you know what we are? A couple of fuck ups. So let's go round up fuck up number three and go get flowers for the people we fucked over. How does that sound?"
"That would... actually be very helpful." Tony nodded and stood. Before Grey followed, she asked, "You alright here, Fandral?"
He gestured to Thor. "Do not worry, dear Grey."
She smiled at him and then ran off after Tony. Fandral watched her go, rubbing his cheek. Even though she had guessed things would go about as well as tonight had, she still offered to do go through with it to help him. Just so he could get home. "I think she wanted an excuse to see her aunt again," Vision supplied, making Fandral jump. "She was simply too scared to do so herself, and you gave her both the reason and strength to attempt to repair her relationship."
"How do you know that?"
Thor tapped Vision's forehead, making the man furrow his brow and lean away. "Mind gem," Thor explained. Fandral's eyes widened and he looked closer at the stone in the middle of Vision's head. Vision blinked at the sudden closeness. "Worry not, though. He is a very worthy holder."
Vision reached over and unplugged the toaster. "Why don't you two go and catch up?" Vision suggested. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. will inform you when the food arrives."
"Thank you, Vision," Thor said. He rested a hand on Fandral's shoulder and urged him out the door. "I would like to here how the night went that ended up with you on Midgard, if you are willing to supply the details. And I would like to know about you and Grey. Everyone else seems to be having serious conversations, so maybe we should try as well?"
Fandral sighed but nodded. "I think we need to, yes."
Pietro raced around the track, trying to run himself into the ground. All he wanted was to collapse from exhaustion so he didn't have to think about what Wanda said. If he fell into a deep enough sleep, the nightmares would evade him. It had worked before - he hoped it would work now. But the more he sweat, the more guilt filled his chest. He felt like shit. A quick shit - he gave a rueful laugh at that thought.
"Pietro!" someone called. The mutant halted his running and looked back to see Grey and Tony standing on the steps of the training room. "Come with us?" Grey asked.
He flashed over to them. "For what?"
Grey jumped back. "Jesus, that's terrifying." Pietro shrugged and raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. "All three of us are fuck ups. Want to go buy flowers?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful," Tony said. "Let's start walking. Give everyone a chance to calm down? And don't you dare think about racing off, Sonic."
"Never, Eggman."
They exited the tower without meeting anyone. But as they walked down the street Pietro felt eyes on his back. When he looked back he saw no one, but he knew Wanda watched him. He sighed and turned forward again. Grey and Tony didn't say a word - all three walked in their own silent, guilt ridden thoughts, trying to word a proper apology in their minds. The street lamps lit their way for them. They brushed past strangers, many doing double-takes at the sight of Tony Stark walking with two college-aged kids, but they were too dumbstruck to do anything about it.
When they got to the right street Tony pointed at a shop. "This is the one. Why don't you two wait outside? I've got way more experience with this than both of you." Then he eyed Pietro. "Well... Maybe." Then he disappeared into the shop. Grey placed her hands in her pockets and looked at the cars zooming by, watched the array of drunks and sober pedestrians stumble or purposefully stride by. Pietro watched for a moment too. Then he let out a groan and smacked his head on the brick wall.
"I'm an idiot," he muttered. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the light pain in his head. "
"I can't believe I just ran away," Grey murmured. She rested her back against the wall and stared up at the sky. New York's lights blotted out the summer stars.
"We're both assholes," Pietro affirmed.
"No doubt about it," she agreed. Seeking comfort in contact, Pietro turned around so his back rested on the brick wall and brushed her shoulder with his. She sighed and leaned into his shoulder. "So what happened with you and your sister?" she asked. She didn't quite understand the contact of everything that had been spewed.
The young, silver haired man shook his head. "Long tale. But I was in a coma for sometime, and she... moved on, is how you say it?" He rubbed his eyes. "We are our only family, and I just... feel alone. How about you and Pepper?" He smirked. "I have only ever seen her that mad when Tony drank too much and tried to kiss Wanda."
Grey put her head in her hands. "Oh, god. That mental image..." Pietro laughed lightly, nudging her with his elbow. She withdrew her hands and smiled, a far off look in her gaze. The smile disappeared when she said, "After Loki showed me my... abilities, I ran away. I never said a word to Pepper. She's my aunt - she adopted me when my mother died in childbirth and..." She groaned and hit the back of her head against the brick wall. "I deserve to be hit by a bus."
"We all do." Pietro glanced at Stark inside the store, paying the cashier. "But somehow... forgiveness will be managed." Grey looked up at him, and seeing the ghost of unsaid memories in his eyes, she just nodded. She trusted those blue eyes. Pietro quirked his mouth into a gentle smile. "I meant it earlier. You are very pretty," he told her. She rolled her eyes.
"Well, thanks. But I've had a god telling me that for the past month, so you might need a new line, Quicky."
"Are you two dating?" he asked.
She laughed and shook her head. "Just friends. We can both assure you that. Although he might relate a false tale about the topic."
"Good," Pietro affirmed. When she looked over at him he winked. "I have a chance then, yes?"
A bell rung. "Are you really flirting with my niece, Sonic?" Tony asked as he walked out the door, shaking his head. The bell rung again when the door swung shut. "I bought these flowers for Wanda and Pepper and not for the Three Fuck Ups. You two can do your own thing later. A quickie or two?" Tony wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Instead of answering Pietro snatched the flowers and streaked away. Tony looked down at his one empty hand and then back up at where he had disappeared to. "Damn him."
Loki held his hands behind his back and watched Fandral. He had to admit, seeing the lady's man act as a loyal friend and nothing more to a woman, especially Loki's daughter, had him viewing the man in a new light. But that changed nothing. With the right amount of coaxing, Grey would follow her father into any battle. She would fight against Thor, even if it meant fighting Fandral. And she would adopt her rightful name. Fenrir Lokidotter. Oh, yes. Loki smirked - he would make sure of that.
Thanks to all of those who have been favoriting and following me - it means a lot! I'm glad you've enjoyed so far, and I hope I don't disappoint you with any chapters. Thank you guys again for reading - have a nice day!
-Cero
