Here's The Thing

Summary: Here's the thing.

Not every universe is the same.

Notes: N/A

Warnings: This can be read as almost incestuous, if you read the twins like that. Not how I intended it, but I leave it to the eye of the beholder.

Here's the thing.

Not every universe is the same.

In this universe when the taser arrow was pressed to Wanda's forehead it boosted her gifts, advanced them beyond the pace of their own advancement. It overwhelmed her, and the pain shocked her but in the end?

In the end her scarlet grew.

In this universe when Pietro is shot Wanda feels it. Feels every bullet digging into her brother's body, killing him quickly, but this time she is stronger. When she yells it is in pain, yes, but only the physical. Scarlet dances around her brighter than a supernova, melting the robots circling her, and reaches, reaches out, toward her brother.

He is her twin, and he is hers. None of them are allowed to take him from her. She reaches for him with scarlet fingers and pulls the bullets from him from across the rock they stand on. Lifts him carefully, and sets her magic to let her brother tag along behind Barton. On the carrier his wounds – already healing with the forceful and yet delicate application of her telekinesis – are treated by medics. In the church Wanda stretches her arm out, and pulls Ultron to her.

He is a wreck, when brought before her. She did not guide him as she did her brother, no, she had him take the swiftest path, through the side of a train, through buildings and rubble, through rocks and robots, and through the gaping arch beside her. She does not look to him, as she directs her gifts to dismantle into nothingness the robots sent at her. She does not look at him as she speaks.

"Do you know what it feels like, hmm, to be shot? Of course not. You are a robot. You are not living. I could tear circuits from you, but you have alternates, and until they are gone, well. I want the punishment I wreak on you to be final."

Ultron strains to open his mouth, to use his voice modulator, but Wanda does not permit it, and shakes her head as she moves the carcasses of the robots into a barricade in the roof, filling in the gaping holes.

"No. You do not get to talk. Your robots almost killed my brother. You almost left me with nothing. You will get nothing, until you understand."

She has been learning to read circuits, since she saw Ultron, and the intermediary of the mind of the android called Vision aided her more than she thought. Besides, she knows now, how much Ultron is like his father. Hovering in the air is the simple question. And when I do?

"When you do? I leave that to Pietro. It was he you shot, after all."

She flicks her wrist and with a spray of scarlet she rips out the routers and central processors of the bots coming at her, and prevents Ultron from moving when she sets him down.

Over comms comes the waiting order, and Wanda flicks her wrist to clear the space, and to pluck up Ultron. The robot's limbs dangle, but Wanda does not care. Her scarlet clears the path to the carriers and she drags the robot behind her. She is sure Ultron finds it very undignified, but she cannot bring herself to care.

Not after what he did to Pietro.

On the carrier Pietro's breathing eases. He can feel as Wanda's mind draws closer, feels as she steps onto the carrier, and hears her soft footsteps, and a screeching sound of metal. She stops by him, and kneels, twists her fingers and sends the scraping robot to lean against the side. Her hands press to her brother's chest, where still-damp blood soaks his shirt.

"You are alright?"

Pietro smiles, and lifts a hand to his sister's hair, "Of course. You were fast enough. Fast as me." The grin at the last is utterly Pietro, and Wanda almost laughs. With a few twists of her fingers she renders Ultron conscious, but useless, unable to escape to elsewhere, and unable to move or speak, and curls beside her brother.

"Do you know where we are going?"

Pietro's head shakes slightly, where it lies on the metal of the carrier. "Away. That's all. Barton said … it was something technical. They will blow it up. Everyone is gone from there now."

Wanda breathes a sigh of relief, and, for all she is lying on cold metal, feels warm and peaceful.

Pietro shifts slightly, to let her curl closer. His chest is still healing, and tender, but it is stitched sealed and bandaged, and his own speed will heal it more rapidly than anything. Wanda's magic let him survive the bullets, and healed him enough that he could continue to, and now he offers her all the comfort he can.

When her breathing has slowed from the race of the fight, to calm, the rock has been imploded. Wanda's fingers slightly twitch, almost in admonishment, toward Ultron. Pietro sits up, when Wanda does, despite his wounds. His hiss of pain makes Wanda turn immediately, ready to help, but Pietro soothes her worry with a simple touch to her cheek.

"Ultron," he asks, "Why did you bring him?"

Wanda's jaw hardens to a tight line, and her eyes go from rich brown to scarlet-cored. "He shot you. I want him to understand what that means."

Pietro laughs, winces, and laughs again. He pulls her into a hug with one arm, and presses his face into her hair.

"You do not need to destroy him for me, sister."

"I was not going to. I was going to teach him pain and then let you have him."

"They will want to destroy him." Pietro's tone is more reminding than refusing, and Wanda smiles.

"They can have him when we're done with him. He almost killed you. He is not allowed to do that."

Pietro strokes back her hair. "If we go with that then I still owe Barton a punch for tasing you like that." He presses the backs of his fingers to her forehead. "He could have damaged your gifts."

Wanda chuckles and tucks against her brother. "He made them strong enough I could save you." She tilts her head, presses a kiss to her brother's cheek. "Besides, I think you did, when we tried to prevent the Vision being born."

"Hm. Maybe."

They are quiet for a while, tucked together, as the carriers fly. They do not settle quickly – S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to find space for the carriers – and from this height the mountains are beautiful in a way the twins have never seen before. They lean against each other, Pietro pressing a kiss to Wanda's hair, Wanda a kiss to Pietro's shoulder, and they watch the world pass by.

End Notes: Reviews are much appreciated!