Disclaimer: This is self explanatory but I still need to say it.
I do not own any of the songs used in these one-shots
I do not own any of the characters from the Avenger Movies (or any other Marvel Movie) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. If I did, Romanov and Banner wouldn't be a thing, and if they were, it would have been done much more realistically than in Agent of Ultron. I don't list characters in here because for all I know they may never be used in my writing.
Some of these chapters might be set in an AU setting. If that happens I'll try to give a warning. Each chapter is a one-shot. The pairings are bound to mix up, personally I'm a Clint/Tasha shipper but I might surprise you. Disclaimer: This is self explanatory but I still need to say it.
Renegades- By X Ambassadors
Run away-ay with me
Lost souls in revelry
Running wild and running free
Two kids, you and me
Pietro stood, his scrawny and malnourished ten year old body scaling the mountain of white stone, an adventurous look sparkling in his face. Behind him, Wanda scrambled up the stone with an uncertain look about her. She couldn't help looking around cautiously, as though a dead body would suddenly appear. Or a faulty grenade that's just waiting to go off and obliterate them.
"Come here Wanda," Pietro gestured for her to hurry, standing atop the rubble ruins of another building. He stood confidently atop it, as though he were a king claiming new territory. In the back of his mind he knew how stupid and deadly this could be, he knew it could be dangerous but still he smiled and tried to look at life as a homeless orphan as an adventure. Anything to keep his little sister calm, to keep them together.
Wanda slowly made her way up beside him. The moment she returned to her place at his side, she clung to him instinctually like he would run off again. Wanda didn't put that past him one bit.
But staring out at the streets and other building, Wanda felt a little bit taller. She felt something rise inside her like a loaf of bread. Everything looked slightly smaller up here, somewhat more impressive. And she could see the colorful gleam of trapped treasures beneath the mere surface of the rubble.
Pietro grinned following her gaze and gave a little tug at her arm. The treasures, the first of many prizes they could collect and trade to others for food and warm clothing. He made his way quickly down the slope of stone, a smile finding it's way across his face.
And I said hey
Hey, hey, hey
Living like we're renegades
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Living like we're renegades
Renegades, renegades
Pietro scurried inside quickly, a bundle of cloth and fabric in his arms and shielded by his little body from the heavy downpour outside. He entered the tiny, abandoned husk of a building's basement where he saw several other dirty and malnourished children hiding out. Building such as this were popular spots for the street rats to take cover at night, especially in the worse of weather. There wasn't the best but it was secluded and safe from outside exposure.
He spotted Wanda huddled in the far corner, her scared face looking over the other children. She had not her noticed her brothers return and didn't until he was nearly right in front of her, shoving impolitely through the other kids.
"Pietro!" Wanda pulled him forward, an action which caused him to get on his knees, and hugged him tightly. She didn't care if he was soaking wet, if his hair was plastered flat to his skull and his skin radiated with cold, she needed to hold him. She missed him so much, she was so scared when he was gone that something bad would happen. That he would die if she wasn't with him.
"Hey," Pietro whispered, pulling away from her, "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere!"
The older twin popped a squat beside her, setting his bundle of cloth in both of their laps and began to cautiously open it. He watched the other orphans carefully, not wanting any of those filthy rats to steal their food. Food he worked hard to procure for him and his sister.
Wanda, her head resting on his shoulder, stared at the stale bread and the cold pepperoni stick. She turned to her brother, quickly covering the food up once again so no one would sniff it out, and hissed in his ear.
"You stole this food?"
Pietro looked at her, feigning shock at her as he shook his head, "No," He answered, "I found it. And now it's mine."
Wanda sighed, in no mood to argue with him, and curled up beside him. She stared up at the ceiling where she knew, on the ground floor and above that, were other more daring children who were camping out. Who weren't intimidated by a possible bomb dropping down on them and killing them. That's why Wanda insisted on the basement. The basement was safer.
"Come on," Pietro nudged her, having unwrapped the food again, "We gotta eat. Mother and father would want us to."
"Mother and father wouldn't want you stealing food," Wanda muttered before taking her share of bread and began to nibble it, savoring the taste despite it's staleness. Stale or not, it was still good.
Long live the pioneers
Rebels and mutineers
Go forth and have no fear
Come close and lend an ear
Wanda blinked open her bleary eyes, rubbing them cautiously with the back of her hand to hear only Pietro's voice within the basement. Wanda blinked, looking around the basement to see, in the dim darkness, the little children sitting around Pietro.
Pietro stood, a few steps away, with his arms out wide to the seated crowd. His voice was a mindful volume, one that didn't mean to wake up anyone who chose to sleep. Very quietly, Wanda drew her legs to her chest and listened to her brother, unable to ignore the fact that he managed to silence the entire basement.
"And there he was! Eight feet tall with scraggly black hair the color of putrid, disgusting squid ink!" Pietro told, "With a glass eye which hung loosely in it's socket and stared at the oddest of directions! He leaned over the crew, with breath that smelled sourly of putrid fish and lemons, and barked angrily..."
Wanda smiled, it was just Pietro telling everyone a made up story he was coming up with. She scooted a bit closer, mindful to keep an eye on their things while her brother spun out his tale. Everyone was lending an ear, listening with wrapt attention. She glanced over at the rusty iron staircase leading upstairs and saw children leaning against it, trying to hear Pietro's story for themselves.
The young girl turned her attention back to her brother and listened attentively.
And I said hey
Hey, hey, hey
Living like we're renegades
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Living like we're renegades
Renegades, renegades
The tears ran freely down Wanda's cheeks as she huddled closer to Pietro, her tiny fingers clinging to him with a vice like grip. Overhead, the urgent cry of bomb sirens shrieked through the night. Their deafening cry was only drowned out by the nightmarish booms of bomb not that far above her. Maybe eight feet above her head.
Pietro held her tightly, trying to remain as calm as possible. Yet his heart was thundering in his chest, pumping fear in his veins as the treacherous emotion reminded Pietro of that dud resting beside them in the ruins of his home. Of the dead remains of his parents. Of their blood and splintered body parts. Of the screaming. He forced himself to not break down, only so he could hold and comfort Wanda.
With each horrific explosion, Pietro cringed just slightly. Dust fell from the ceiling, dust and sediment which clung to the cement. It rained down on all the children in the basement, making them cough for a few moments. It was so dark down there, Pietro hardly saw them. He couldn't even see Wanda clearly in the darkness. He could only hear them, hear them screaming and crying and shouting at each other. He felt Wanda's shaking body as she struggled to compose herself, felt her tremors, and drew her closer to him.
"We will be ok," Pietro whispered, though it was really half hearted. The explosions were getting progressively louder, a sign they were coming closer to the building and block they were hiding in.
Wanda merely nodded and hugged Pietro tightly, whispering to him, "It-it's sort of like thunder," She whispered shakily. Her words caused Pietro to stare at her in mild bewilderment and she continued softly, "Remember what mom used to say about thunder?"
"She used to say it was the sky having a tantrum," Pietro whispered, "Because it was having a bad day or didn't want the day to end yet."
Wanda nodded and hugged her brother tightly, yelping slightly when an explosion caught her off guard. Pietro drew her closer, if it was possible, and murmured under his breath, "it's like a thunderstorm..."
So, all hail the underdogs
All hail the new kids
All hail the outlaws
Spielbergs and Kubricks
Pietro laid on the dirty ground exhausted, his arms spread eagle around him. Blood tricked from his nose and busted lip, his tiny little body aching in pain. Especially his face and jaw. It hurt so much.
Standing over the ten year old boy was an even taller and stronger fourteen year old young man. With a laugh, he kicked Pietro hard in the ribs and watched as the young blonde boy curl in on himself, fighting the defeated whimper in his throat.
Wanda watched her brother with wide eyes, extremely fearful for him. At his small, malnourished body, at his dirty and bruised abdomen and the blood leveling from his nose. The two males had taken off their shirts to fight, and compared to Pietro, the fourteen year old didn't look as dirty or awful.
"You weak, pathetic wuss," The teen kicked Pietro again, as the boy was getting to his feet. Pietro fell unceremoniously, breathing heavily.
"You thought you could keep taking stuff from us?" The teen continued, reaching into his pocket.
Wanda's heart stopped as she realized what was about to happen. That he was pulling out a switch blade. Wanda did not even glance at Pietro, who was still struggling to get up off the ground and fight back before tearing herself away from the crowd, from the teens holding her back, to jump onto that fourteen year olds back. Her little arms hooked tightly around his neck and her heels dug sharply into his sides. The teen, while not bruised up like Pietro, was still a street rat. Which made him skinny and malnourished and incapable of standing forever with a ten hear old girl on his back practically choking him.
"Get offa me you bitch!" He shouted with a red face spinning and turning to shake her off. Wanda held on tightly though, praying he didn't go for the switch blade. She glanced back at Pietro who stared at her in wild bewilderment. What was she doing?
"No!" Wanda shouted, "No! No one ever hurts my brother! No one!"
The younger twin felt her chest tighten seeing the fourteen year old go for his switchblade but before he could completely pull it out, Pietro came running as fast as he could and swung a little brick into the guys crotch. His red face turned the darkest shade Wanda ever saw and as he fell to the ground, curling into the fetal position, Wanda leapt off of him Ungracefully and hit the cement ground. As he fell Pietro kicked him in the head three times an angry look in his face.
"Don't you ever call my sister a female dog again you ass!" Pietro shouted, the ten year old kicking him one more time in the face before turning away to grab his shirt. The crowd sort of stood in shock, the teens who once held Wanda back inched away. None of them wanted to get a brick to the crotch.
"Pietro," Wanda whispered as they hurried away from the scene, hoping none of those witnesses tried to stop them, "You know we aren't allowed to swear."
"He started it."
It's our time to make a move
It's our time to make amends
It's our time to break the rules
Let's begin...
"Please slow down Pietro!" Wanda whispered as she ran after her brother in the dark streets, glancing back and forth and up and down as if a horrible monster would jump out to snatch her away and kill her. She was constantly glancing up as of bombs would fall upon them but Pietro merely smiled and spun on his heels, carrying an assortment of clothes in his arms ranging from used to new.
Wanda was not proud that they raided a store and stole fresh food as well as the donation bins, but there were so few non perishables in those donation bins and so many people. Pietro had insisted on it, that good food were a necessity and that Robin Hood would be doing the exact same thing.
"Pietro!" Wanda called again, trying to not whine.
"I cannot," Pietro says, "This is as slow as I can go! You run faster!"
Wanda glared at him with a huff, muttering a few choice words about him beneath her breath. She struggled to keep up with him as they rounded a corner, a cold stiff wind blowing right into their faces.
"We are almost there!" Pietro called to her, "Promise!"
Pietro skidded to a stop at the cellar door and threw it open, acting like a gentleman doorman and allowing his sister to go first. Wanda made her way cautiously into the basement, her brother close behind her as he let the cellar door close. Pietro maneuvered around her and led her to the middle of the basement, setting the delicious treasures down so he could see all the envious looks of other street rat children staring at him. Wanda followed suit, standing close to her brother like a shadow.
"HEAR YE HEAR YE!" Pietro shouted, though it wasn't quite necessary as everyone was already giving them their attention, "My sister and I have just raided stores and donation bins to bring you all the greatest gift of all for Christmas!"
"Toys?" A child spoke out.
"No," You dolt, Pietro added in his head, "FRESH FOOD! Everyone come around and come share!"
Wanda closed her eyes, she had been expecting everyone to just lunge and attack one another for the food instead of sharing it. She didn't expect everyone to share like this was on big feast. She expected it to be a giant fight and for people to get hurt or go hungry.
But Wanda was pleasantly surprised.
Everyone came forward, breaking up the food and passing it down to one another, making sure everyone was given a little something. The older kids delegated and made sure the younger kids were given a share first before older kids. Wanda watched as the kids thanked them happily, some kids even adding their own little scores of food to the pile to be divided up.
Pietro wrapped his arm around Wanda and held her close to his side, grinning. Wanda smiled and held him tightly in a hug, "Merry Christmas."
And I said hey
Hey, hey, hey
Living like we're renegades
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Living like we're renegades
Renegades, renegades
Pietro gave a sleepy yawn as he looked down at Wanda, hugging her closer. The dark haired twin was fast asleep, curled up against her brother like a kitten. In the darkness, with everyone asleep, Pietro felt alone. But at the same time, in his sleepy and hazy mind, he felt very at peace. He had his sister with him and that's all that mattered.
Pietro smiled as he hugged her, closing his eyes to fall back asleep. He adjusted his hold on her and settled back. He fell asleep.
Merry Christmas. I apologize if this is short, as you can guess it's a telling of Wanda and Pietro's life as orphans in Sokovia. If you think they're English is too perfect just think of it this way, they aren't speaking English, they're speaking the native language of Sokovia.
And damn it I feel like Shawn Mendes's song Stitches needs to be about how Jemma chose Will over Fitz! Ugh! THAT CANNOT HAPPEN! FITZSIMMONS FOREVER! Atleast I thought of that once.
Please Review.
