An Adventure Paved In Silver
New Avengers Facility
Pietro Maximoff
1991-2015
Beloved brother
An inspiration to all
A true Avenger
Wanda knelt down in front of Pietro's gravestone having not visited for a few weeks. After Novi Grad was destroyed Pietro was given a funeral and was buried in New York which isn't far from the New Avengers Facility. Only now has Wanda noticed that the grass surrounding Pietro's grave was darker than that of the rest of the cemetery but thought nothing of it.
"Hello Pietro, sorry I haven't been here for a while." Said Wanda taking a deep breath. She always felt awkward talking to Pietro's gravestone, that gravestone was NOT Pietro, so still and lifeless but Steve had once said that just talking can help heal and reassure even if it feels like you're talking to nothing but thin air.
"So I had finally visited the Bartons at their farm. It is a large wide open space with so much room to run around you would have loved it." Said Wanda remembering her visit.
After several weeks of persistant persuasion by Natasha and finally feeling up for it, Wanda finally decided to go visit Clint and meet his family. After hours of traveling in the car with Nat they finally arrived outside the farmhouse. Wanda being so new to this setting stayed behind Natasha as they walked to the door but before Natasha could knock it flung open and a young boy and girl ran out and hugged Natasha by the waist.
Aunty Nat!" They shouted in unison as Natasha bent over to hug them back.
"Hey guys, geez you're both getting taller everytime I visit I swear." Said Natasha standing back up straight and ruffling their hair as they giggled and looked behind her to notice Wanda for the first time and looked at her with curiosity.
"Guys this is Wanda, she's a friend of mine and your Dads, Wanda this is Cooper and this is Lila." Said Natasha with the kids on each side and placing her arms around each of their shoulders.
"Hello." Said Lila shyly, raising her hand in a small wave causing Wanda to smile and give a little wave back.
"Hello it is very nice to meet you." Replied Wanda and Lila opened her mouth to reply but...
"Are you an Avenger?" Cooper blurts out catching Wanda off guard not sure whether she is expected by Natasha to answer truthfully or not but thankfully Natasha comes to her rescue.
"Now, now Squirt you shouldn't ask things like that first." Said Natasha smirking and ruffling his hair.
"But you and Dad are Avengers, I'm just wondering if Wanda is as well." Replied Cooper.
"Do I hear my oldest causing a nuisance again?" Asked a woman coming into view by the door.
"No Momma, I wasn't, honest." Said Cooper in his most innocent voice.
"Really?" Asked the woman with a raised eyebrow and her hand on her hip to which Cooper nodded frantically in return.
"He's up to mischief as usual." Said Natasha walking past the kids. "It's great to see you again Laura." Said Natasha wrapping her arms around Laura who hugged back in return.
"Its always good to see you Nat." Said Laura with fondness in her voice. When they seperated Laura noticed Wanda who felt very out of place in this setting, turning so Laura is facing her side not able to look directly at Laura.
"And you must be Wanda, I'm so happy to finally meet you." Said Laura stepping towards Wanda smiling.
"It's nice to meet you too." Said Wanda wanting to be polite as Laura grabbed her and wrapped her into a hug. Wanda tensed up at first not expecting this contact at all but eventually her shoulders eased as she settled into the embrace.
"Come in and please make yourself at home." Said Laura leading Wanda into the house with the kids and Natasha following behind.
"So how is my little nephew?" Asked Natasha.
"He's chubby and he won't stop crying." Pouted Lila.
"And I bet you weren't any different when you were a baby." Said Natasha putting her hands on Lila's shoulders and playfully squeezing them causing Lila to giggle as they walk into the living room where Clint was holding the baby, gently rocking him back and forth as the kids run off upstairs.
"Hey Tasha, hey Wanda." Said Clint.
"Hey Clint lets have a look at him." Said Natasha moving to Clints side to get a better look at the baby as Wanda just stood in the middle of the room by herself awkwardly, looking at the small bundle in Clints arms not sure what to do. Wanda was too focused on the baby to notice Laura behind her till she gently slid her arm around Wanda's.
"I'm so terribly sorry about your brother." Started Laura rubbing her hand along Wanda's arm as a mean to comfort. "I would have loved to have met the hero who saved my husbands life and made sure that he could live to watch his kids grow up." Said Laura as Wanda started to tear up and put a hand to her mouth to stifle a sob as Laura who eyes were welling up as well removed her arm to wrap her arms around Wanda in another hug.
"I'm sorry." *sniffle* "I'm sorry I didn't mean to..." Laura let go of Wanda to look her in her eyes as her hands moved down to hold Wandas as she made another sniffling noise and weakly coughed to clear her throat.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you I just," * sniffle* "I just wanted you to know that you are always welcome in our home and will always have a place here whenever you need it and whatever you need you can always come to us isn't that right Clint." Said Laura looking to Clint.
"Absolutely, anything at all." Said Clint with a small, sad smile. Wanda couldn't bring herself to speak due to not having an answer to that and out of fear that she'll start crying again and won't be able to stop so she meekly nodded her head as Laura raised her arms and hugged her again.
"They were a family Pietro, a real family with so much love there." Said Wanda finding herself wondering and not for the first time that that could have been the kind of childhood that they could've have had, had many things been different. Wanda decided to start thinking about something else not wanting to get emotional and start crying again.
"I saw Zrinka again a few days ago, she was wearing that dress you stole for her in Paris, she was very pretty in it, you would have liked it on her." Wanda chuckled then moving a hand to wipe away a tear that was threatening to spill at the memory of Pietro giving Zrinka the dress and Wanda arguing that if he didn't stop stealing he'd get himself shot, she sure knew how to pick her words.
"She and Costel have settled in nicely here in the States. Zrinka has gotten a job as a barista in Manhattan and Costel has started school here." Said Wanda leaving out the large detail that Costel has not coped well after the Battle of Sokovia after Pietro literally took the bullets for him and then seeing his body afterwards has left the poor boy traumatised.
"Training is going very well, Steve and Natasha say my fitness is getting better and I feel myself getting stronger by the day. I'm still not used to living in America yet everything is so much bigger and grander here then in Sokovia though I have made new friends here like Jane Thor's girlfriend and her friend Darcy they have helped me settle in here and then theres Miss Potts Stark's girlfriend and Maria Hill who makes sure that I have everything that I need is provided then of course you already know Natasha and Helen who have been good to me. We have certaintly come a long way from taking part in protests and sleeping in doorways haven't we brother." Said Wanda not able to stop herself remembering some random old memories of her and Pietros younger days.
Wanda and Pietro now twelve were stood around an old drum on fire holding their hands up to it for warmth from the cold. It was morning and snowing in the middle of another brutal winter in Sokovia and the twins had been on their own for two years now. For the past year they had squatted in an old train car in an abandoned train station, It was equipped with a bed, a small sofa and a small desk, Wanda mostly slept in the bed whilst Pietro slept on the sofa. It was a useful place to stay because whilst people would occasionally pass the abandoned station they never thought to check on the obsolete carriages in the station, it was also useful cause it was a five minute walk to the town centre and the nearby apartments.
They stood by a street corner wrapped up in warm clothes which Pietro had stolen a few weeks before much to Wandas annoyance, she didn't like him stealing, their Mother and Father raised them better then that but Pietro would always argue that they were desperate for whatever it is he stole and beggars can't be choosers so Wanda is wearing a beanie hat with flaps that was too big for her head and a scarf wrapped tightly around her neck whilst Pietro who had a plain black beanie had taken his off to shake out his disheveled hair as he ran his hand through it, as he removed his hand to put his beanie back on bird muck landed on the top of his head as he started shake his head frantically in disgust as Wanda looked at him to see what he was doing.
"What was that? Oh! Yuck." Said Wanda taking a step back away from Pietro who is frantically shaking his head and tapping at it to knock it off.
"Well... I hear that's lucky. Like finding a four leaf clover. Although I think I'd prefer the clover." Teased Wanda with a grin.
"This is not funny, look at it." Whined Pietro slightly bending over and looking down to give Wanda a better look at it pointing at his now dirty hair moving towards her as she moved back.
"Okay, okay I believe you its not funny." Said Wanda holding back a giggle as Pietro grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed it into his hair to wash off the bird muck.
"You're okay its all gone you little playboy." Said Wanda rolling her eyes teasing Pietro over how much he fusses over his hair.
"You think its funny do you?" Asked Pietro as Wanda put her finger to her lip pretending to think about it.
"Hmm yes, yes I do." Said Wanda with a smile as Pietro grabbed another handful of snow and rolling it into a ball.
"Yeah? well find this funny." Said Pietro throwing the snowball at Wanda hitting her in the shoulder then running away giggling.
"You evil little shit!" Wanda shouted back and chased after him giggling as well. It was always moments like these that reassured her in a way that no matter how bad things got for them they would always have eachother, she could always rely on him for support and to protect her and keep her safe and provide her with the feelings of comfort and familarity she doubt she could find anywhere else and these playful arguements and sibling bickering just put the cherry on top. She chased him down one of the alleys as Mrs Faustin, an elderley widow who the twins would often accidently cause trouble for, mostly Pietros fault Wanda was always quick to add lived in one of the flats next door exited out into the alley via a side door saw Pietro coming who dodged around her to keep running away from Wanda.
"Sorry Mrs Faustin." Pietro called back.
"Pietro Maximoff watch where you're going you silly boy." Called Mrs Faustin as Wanda ran past her and repeated Pietro's words back to the elderley woman.
"One of these days you two will be the death of me you bloody vagrants." Shouted Mrs Faustin. 'Poor Mrs Faustin' thought Wanda to herself as Pietro turned a corner and Wanda ran to catch up and turned the corner too only for Pietro to have disappeared. She looked around but couldn't see him, she looked further up the street but then a roar behind her made her jump as Pietro engulfed her in a hug from behind as they giggled, she turned around, pried herself from Pietros grasp and gently hit him in the shoulder.
"You ass where did you go?" Said Wanda getting her breath back.
"I waited for you and hid behind the bins." Said Pietro looking to the bins in question pressed against the wall.
They started to head back but then heard a commotion behind them they turned to see further up the alley. A group of three kids two of them the same age as them and the one older were beating and harassing poor Mikhail again, Mikhail was Mrs Faustins nephew and lived with her after the bombings had killed his parents. He was the same age as the twins and many of the other kids but he was meek and smaller so he was picked on a lot.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Shouted Wanda walking towards them. She has always hated bullies being that she has been the victim in the past herself and knowing Mikhail doesn't deserve it knowing he couldn't hurt a fly, she felt sorry for him and decided to help him knowing Pietro was with her and would back her up. The gang stopped and turned to see them with the leader of the group stepped out in front of them and walked towards her meeting her halfway.
'Aleksander, should have known' thought Wanda, Aleksander the older boy by about a year, the leader of this 'gang' they called themselves often torments the kids on the block especially Mikhail and has picked on Pietro and Wanda on occasion but mostly when they are seperate. Wanda used to see Pietro in the past with bruises, black eyes and split lips, he would always say it was nothing and not to worry herself whenever she questioned him about them but the next time she would see Aleksander he would have similar injuries and put two and two together that they had been fighting. They had never physically attacked her to that extent it was mainly shoving her and pulling her around, they had always attacked her verbally with cruel insults about her and Pietro and try to take whatever she had on her, she quickly learned only to carry around the essentials with her when she was on her own. If they needed food they would always go together.
"Having a bit of fun. Whats it to you?" Said Aleksander towering over Wanda and looking her up and down.
"Leave him alone." Said Wanda standing her ground to which Aleksander did not like, he took a step back to create space then pushing her causing her to fall backwards and land on the concrete floor.
What came next happened too fast for Wanda to realise what was going on, she groaned as she sat up and looked to see Pietro who was punching at Aleksander wildly as his two friends tried to pull him off. Aleksander was hunched over so Pietro had grabbed the back of his collar with one hand and swung with uppercuts to his face with the other. They struggled to get him off as he had a firm grip on Aleksanders collar, they finally managed to pull him off and shove him to the floor before taking off leaving them on the floor.
"I'll get you for this you twin freaks." Shouted Aleksander holding his bloody nose as he ran, Pietro sprung back up and in anger was about to chase after them but remembered Wanda as he turned around and helped her up and checked her over to see if she was hurt anywhere as she dusted herself off. Wanda then looked over to Mikhail who was still curled up against the wall where he was when the bullies had been tormenting him, he had his arms up to cover his face as he was sniffling, Wanda tried to rest her hand on Mikhails shoulder to comfort him but he jerked away at her touch.
"It's okay Mikhail they're gone now its just us." Softly said Wanda again trying to rest her hand on his shoulder who this time accepts it as he nods, after he had calmed down Pietro moved to his other side.
"Come on Mikhail lets get you up." Said Pietro offering his hand as Mikhail took it and weakly tried to pull himself up so Pietro lifted further to get him upright, they then dusted him off before they stared walking with Pietros arm clasped around his shoulder and Wanda gently pressing her arm against his on his other side.
"We'll walk you home okay." Said Wanda to which Mikhail answered with a small nod as they slowly walked back down the alley to the side door Mrs Faustin exited earlier.
"Thank you." Said Mikhail with his side facing the twins and looking down at the floor too scared to face them and look up at them as he went in doors leaving the twins as Wanda took a deep breath.
"I hate them." Wanda snapped quietly to herself.
"Are you okay?" Asked Pietro looked to her concerned as Wanda walked away as if ignoring him.
"I hate them, I hate them." Repeated Wanda fighting to hold back the angry tears as Pietro caught up to her, gently grabbed her hand, stopping her from moving away from him any further, moving in front of her to face him and cupping his hand in the area behind her ear gently pulling her into a hug. He was tall enough that his nose rested on the top of her head and his lips pressed against her forehead and rubbing her temple, she wrapped her free hand around Pietros upper back and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. This embrace felt so comfortable that Wanda could have stayed in it all day but she reluctantly pulled away and took a final deep breath and straightened herself up before speaking.
"Come Brother, I believe we still have some leftovers from that stew last night." Said Wanda trying to change the tone as she started to walk back to the train carriage. Pietro again caught up with her and walked with her as he linked their hands giving her a reassuring squeeze.
"It'll be different someday, it won't stay like this forever." Said Pietro, Wanda admired the conviction in his voice but just couldn't match it.
"And what makes you so sure?" Asked Wanda, she tried to not to make it come out as bitterly as it did but couldn't help it.
"Cause I truly believe you are meant for bigger and better things and I think Sokovia will be better for it." Said Pietro gently bumping his shoulder against hers in an effort to cheer her up and to make her more optimistic about the future, as she smiled feeling overwhelmed by the love and faith shown in her from her twin.
"Oh, and what of you dear Brother? Don't you think you'll have a bright future as well?" Asked Wanda returning a bump to Pietros shoulder.
"I think I'm due for a bit of luck dear Sister, a bird shit on my head earlier and I heard they're lucky like finding a four leaf clover." Said Pietro causing Wanda to burst out laughing.
Wanda smiled at that memory, Pietro always managed to both protect her then cheer her up. She then sighed upon the realisation once again that that will never happen again cause she will never see him ever again. She contemplated this for a further moment before she could hear Vision land behind her.
"Miss Maximoff-." Started Vison.
"Vish, how many times have I told you, you may call me Wanda." Wanda lightly scolded with humour in her voice.
"Very well Wanda. My apologies for intruding but Captain Rogers and Mr Stark has requested the teams prescence. Mr Stark believes he has found the last of Hydras hideouts and believes it contains the location of Brock Rumlow and what he is planning." Said Vision.
"And we are to go with them?" Asked Wanda.
"I Believe they will ask of you, me and Miss Romanov to accompany them, Scott has returned to California to spend time with his daughter so he will not be joining us and neither will Mr Wilson and Colonel Rhodes." Said Vision.
"Very well." Said Wanda standing up and brushing off her knees as she walked over to Vision who was looking at the ground around them.
"Pardon me Wanda but the grass surrounding your brothers grave is a darker colour then the rest of the cemetary." Said Vision.
"Yes, I've noticed this as well, not sure how though." Replied Wanda.
"Well in any event, we shouldn't keep them waiting. Said Vision as they started walking back to the Facility.
I've avoided writing for Wanda and the Avengers for the most part so I could write around the events of Civil War. From this point on this fic will take place in a mixture of before, during and after Civil War with a few differences to accommodate this story.