my name's wanda
the brick wall was rough against their skin.
"that girl looked like she was about two seconds away from either quitting dramatically or using her jacket as a pillow to sleep under the counter."
peter smiled faintly which only sent more pangs of worry through wanda's heart. their whole dynamic had shifted with this encounter like the bricks they leant against.
as soon as wanda had dragged him to one of those stores open 24/7 to buy him some comfort food she knew he liked he'd been unnaturally quiet.
which was fuckin understandable, considering the amount he'd just emotionally unloaded- wanda had felt her chest tighten when peter described the deaths of his uncle and aunt in vivid detail, a hollow look in his eyes, his hands shaking as he shook back his sleeves and turned away guiltily.
"you know it doesn't count, right?" wanda started again after a few moments of silence, just the noises of the city at night and their own chewing.
peter made eye contact for the first time in like half an hour, brown eyes shining in the light of the streetlamp as he looked at her with confusion. "sorry?"
"you know. your..." wanda waved towards his arms, and he seemed to shrink a little. she internally cursed herself but kept ploughing ahead. "I'm sorry to remind you of it, peter, but its not like what you used to do to cope, you did this in your sleep, it's..."
wanda waited for him to look at her again, lip trembling a little. "it's not a relapse."
peter let out a long, shaky sigh for what felt like eternity before collapsing sideways into wanda's waiting arms.
she tensed. this was a lot of personal contact for her, but- peter needed it.
that was wanda's initial thought, not the best, but the distaste drained away like water down a plughole, and she found she didn't mind it at all.
this much contact was for and pietro only. and feeling that again, it felt- it felt like she was somehow erasing something that had been sacred to the both of them. that she was moving on and her brother's fingertips were dragging on the outside of the snowglobe she was trapped in.
but what was nat always saying? when those eyes brimming with wisdom beyond her elastic-stretched years read the guilt etched into wanda's bones through her expression.
it's good to move on.
peter's shoulders shook with muffled sobs, and she clutched him tighter, eyes pricking.
pietro had been the empathetic one, but maybe she could take up the mantle.
peter spoke after a while, both of their hair wild from the wind. "I know your name's not willow."
she tensed, obviously.
"you don't have to tell me your real name." peter continued, visions of crimson wisps of magic hurling enemies and saving civilians flashing. "but I know you're hiding that part of you, and if you're comfortable, I'd love to know it."
the scarlet witch opened her mouth to speak but the ringing of her phone cut her off, loud and shrill in the night.
"oh-"
"it's okay-"
"I should get that.." willow apologised. peter rushed to stand upright with the same enthusiasm he used when pulling chairs aside for elder guests at the restaurant, though the cheerful smile was absent this time. "my...friends...will be wondering where i am."
"no problemo!" peter mustered a smile and rubbed his hands together, before catching sight of the tear stains on willow's jacket. "ah. oh dear- um, I'm so sorry for crying all over you-"
"no, no, I don't wanna hear it!" willow shushed him with a grin. "you needed that, and I'm always happy to listen and help whenever you need me. and.."
she bit her lip, strands of brown brushing past her pale face lit up like a paper lamp in the darkness. "i think i needed it too."
peter smiled, a little bit broken but the duct tape had been torn, ready to stitch him back up again. "thank you. I'll see you for our next shift, yeah? if you're late again you're so buying me a mars bar."
"i don't know why you still trust that vending machine, pete." willow laughed, backing away down the pavement. "looks older than God herself."
peter chuckled, waving her off, but she turned around at the last minute.
"and peter-" a moment of silence and thought, words perched on tentative lips as she debated.
oh, fuck it.
"-my name's wanda."