Rainy Day
Dark, cold usually how her cell felt.
“Prosnis' Veronika” she heard a voice.
(Wake up Veronika)
She saw his face in the hole of her room.
“Vremya trenirovat'sya” he said, and a smile grew on his face.
(Time to train)
Pure torture is what he did best.
“Dolzhen li ya…” she asked as she stood slowly.
(Do I have to)
“Vy ne mozhete byt' luchshim, ne treniruyas' s luchshimi”
(You can’t be the best without training against the best Veronika)
She stepped forward and he opened her cell, grabbing her and pulling her to the training room. Where the same fights, and the same cruel things happened. She fought other widows. Or some men that they’d bring from HYDRA to go against her. She almost always came out on top. Almost always. Today they brought HYDRA, of course he would.
“Soldatskiy boy!” they’d yell at their weapon.
(Soldier fight!)
The man ran at her and she, using her shadows, moved herself behind him. With her mind threw him against a wall. He’d grunt but come right back never taking a second he went after her and she dodged his punches until he kicked her stomach, she went back and coughed at the force in which he kicked her.
“Slabyy malysh?” the man said.
(Weak kid)
As if he’d said words that triggered her. She looked up her eyes aglow she ran at him with a scream. She used her stars to pin him to a wall making a dagger in her hand she pinned it to his throat when suddenly the doors of their superiors opened-
CRASH
***SMALL TOWN NORTH CAROLINA***
Veronika awoke sitting up in bed. She was breathing heavily and shaking, not remembering where she was until she turned on a light.
“It was just a nightmare…” she whispered and looked around her room, the shadows had disappeared, and she sighed remembering what happened last night.
CRASH
She jumped at the sound. Hearing rain against the window. She went to the drapes and opened them.
A storm was going on. She sighed and looked at her clock, 5 am. She was asleep all that time. Part of her wanted to check on Pietro but then again, she knew what her eyes would meet, and she couldn’t handle that right now. She just looked around thinking. Mind racing with the dream of her past she had, just had. She sighed and grabbed her key card. Leaving the holsters and guns in that safe thing in the closet. She left her room and looking at Pietro’s just walked down the hall and down the stairs to the lobby.
Walking to a room where it said breakfast, she immediately went for the waffle maker. Steve made her waffles all the time, so they were literally one of her favorite things about freedom. She grabbed some fruit that was there and sat at a table. Being and not surprisingly either the only person there. She ate in silence, but her mind was definitely not that way.
Her mind kept going to Pietro and that girl. To her dream. To her talk with Sam. She felt odd, all over the place and not able to collect herself. She kept at the waffles and her juice, not planning on finishing them anytime soon.
She sat there alone until she heard rustling outside the door. Soon two adults and a child walked in, Veronika took a glance at the clock, 6a.m. she looked at the child, a little girl, who was obviously tired and smiled bemusedly.
Then turned back to her food and started eating her apple when she heard.
“Mommy, look at her hair! I want my hair like that!” the little girl said happily. Veronika smiled to herself.
“Honey, it’s not nice to point-”
Veronika felt a tug on her suit. Brushing some hair over her eye, she looked at the little girl.
“Hi! I really like your hair!” the child said.
Veronika couldn’t help the smile that went across her face.
“Thank you.” She looked at the girl’s long brown hair that was in a small ponytail. “I like yours too. It’s beautiful.” she smiled pointing at her hair.
The little girl’s face lit up, she turned to her mother who had put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Mommy, she said my hair is beautiful!” The girl giggled.
“I heard honey. I’m sorry ma’am she gets excited to meet new people.”
“Oh it’s fine, she’s adorable, you have a beautiful little girl.” Veronika said her smile was seemingly permanent.
“Thank you…she’s a blessing at best.” The mother smiled and then brought her daughter back to her husband. Veronika’s heart melted. Even when she wasn’t supposed to she’d always had a soft spot for children, they were just so innocent, and pure…she just wished the world wasn’t so cruel.
After a little while she left the family was still there, but she had to move on. She was walking up to her room when she heard laughing coming from the hall that led to her room.
“I had…a great time, hope to see you around later?”
“Most definitely.” She heard his familiar voice. “Prințesă hope to see you again soon.” Officially Veronika’s heart dropped at the nickname, her nickname, and she felt more pain in her chest. She looked around the corner and saw him pull her into another kiss. She looked away and sighed.
Jealousy isn’t your thing Veronika he’s just a stupid boy he doesn’t know anything.
She moved behind the wall again when she heard footsteps coming her way and she jumped back acting as if she was just starting to walk towards the hall. She saw her and the girl stopped.
“Oh hello-” She waited for Veronika’s name.
“It’s Veronika, I’m sorry I realized I didn’t tell you.”
“You’re fine I get it, busy at life.” Chelsea laughed.
Veronika kinda faked one.
It’s not her fault he’s a flirtatious ass remember that. She told herself.
“So uhm you comin to the clinic today?
“Yes, I want to check on the pup, so I’ll come in, in about three hours, that okay?”
“Absolutely. See you.” Chelsea smiled.
She honestly didn’t expect her to act like she hadn't just spent a night with one of the hottest Avengers. She walked away so casually. How does that happen?
Veronika walked to her room and when she opened the door she started walking to the joined door to the bathroom. But she heard water running. He’s taking a shower; her suspicions of the night were confirmed and that didn’t put her to ease.
“HEY PIETRO HURRY UP IN THERE!” She yelled through the door. Nothing. She sighed and sat on the bed. She waited for a good few minutes, the sound of water not ceasing until 30 minutes later. She walked to the door again and knocked. “HURRY UP MAXIMOFF. You’ve been in there for way too long!” She backed up when the door opened and steam rolled out, she turned her head cause it stinged her eyes.
“What’s with all the rushing?”
“Well, you’ve been in the damn shower for-” She turned to glare but it fell when she was met with him in a towel.
Oh, come on!
“Like what you see Prințesă.” He said, smirking.
She glared now.
“You’ve been in the shower for thirty minutes. SO, GET OUT! We’re sharing this bathroom and you’ve had your time with it.”
He rolled his eyes.
“You’re agitated this morning, wake up on the wrong side of bed?”
“No, I just had an annoyingly loud neighbor. Now get out, it's my turn.” She pushed him back with stars.
“Wait you-”
“Heard you? Yeah, now get out.” she glared and walking up to the shower turned it on. Then he said something really stupid.
“You’re jealous-”
“What?” She turned her head.
“You heard me Prințesă.” That nickname again. “You’re jealous that I brought her back.”
“You’re just so full of yourself aren’t you pretty boy.”
He smirked, “I know you want to be.” She knew what he was nodding towards. “Admit you’re jealous and I’ll leave you be.”
She scoffed and turned to him. “I’m not jealous, just pissed off. You get distracted EVERY TIME by some random girl!”
“Distracted from what?! Some animals YOU wanted to help!? This is your fault!”
“My fault!? THEY’RE INNOCENT ANIMALS! They didn’t deserve to be stuck there.”
“What does that matter? They’re animals! There’re actually people in danger but you could care less about it right?”
“I CARE MORE THAN ANYONE! You forget Maximoff I was trapped in HYDRA systems LONG before you were and for half my life.” She glared.
“So was I! And I forget because you never talk about yourself, in fact I barely know ANYTHING about you.”
“You want to know something about me? Fine, I'll give you something.” She glared looking up at him. “I DIDN’T get choice to be what I am. I never got to volunteer for this life! But you did, you had choices! So, do NOT dare lecture me! NOW GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM!” Her eyes were glowing, and he was glaring at her too, he just shook his head and walked out of the bathroom to his room.
She stared at the door locking it and leaned against the door. Her stomach hurt and now she had a slight headache. She felt tears running down her cheeks, so she wiped them, going back to the shower and turning it on to take her shower.
***2 HOURS LATER***
After her shower and getting redressed into her gear she left her hotel room and knocked on his door.
He opened it and looked at her.
“You’re wearing that?”
She raised a brow, “What else am I to wear I don’t have clothes here?” she looked at him again, “how’d you get those? Your new one-night stand bring them?” She glared.
“Heh cute, no, I bought clothes this morning. I just forgot to give them to you. Bought them with Stark’s credit card.” He went into the room and grabbed a black bag with ‘rue 21’ written on it.
She took the bag and looked at the clothes. They were actually pretty nice and oddly, her size. But she wasn’t going to give him the pleasure of thanking him.
“Okay let me go put these on then.” she left him.
“You’re welcome!” he said. She just shrugged and went into the room and changed.
She put on the Guns ‘N’ Roses top and jeans he bought then left her room to see him still standing there.
“Ready?” She asked as he nodded and looked at her.
“You look nice,” he smiled at her.
“Mhm, okay I told your little friend we’d be there, and we have less than an hour let’s go.
He sighed as she started walking and followed behind her. They left the hotel, and they walked all the way to the vet clinic. In a slight pour of rain, she was a bit cold but growing up where she did this was nothing. When they got to the clinic she went immediately to the desk and asked about her pup and the other animals.
“Hello.”
“Howdy, glad to see you back.”
“How are they?”
“Well, we have some unfortunate news.” Veronika froze at her beginning words, please don’t let her pup be gone.
“Is the puppy alright?”
“Oh yes! Yes, she’s fine but the other four didn’t make it, they were too weak to save, we found them this morning, but that pup is a strong girl.”
Veronika sighed in slight relief feeling bad for those poor animals.
“Now I have to get the vet to tell you the rest because I can’t explain it so let me go get him for you real quick.” She stood from her chair and Ver’s eyes followed her as she left. She sighed, waiting anxiously until the man came out towards her with a kind smile.
“Hello Miss Veronika. It’s good to see you again.”
“You as well sir, how is the puppy I brought yesterday? The receptionist, Chelsea, said there was something you needed to tell me?”
He nodded and looked at her. “Well, there’s something definitely strong about your pup that you brought in. When we found the four dead this morning we did blood samples from them, and their results on the computer were…abnormal.” He paused and seeing her confused look continued. “There seems to have been something that was mutating them but at the time of taking it they were weak. Now we ran a test on the pup, and she has mutations in her genes that were the same, but her health is better, so it developed better.”
“So, she is like a super puppy now?”
“Basically, in a sense.” He chuckled.
“Wait, what about the others?”
“Their samples came negative for their genetics and since they were healthier than she is we set the to a shelter or out where they belong. This is happening as we speak.”
She nodded and looked at Pietro who was just reading a magazine.
“So, I can still get the pup back tomorrow or…”
“Well seeing as abnormalities is the Avenger’s expertise, we think giving her to you is the safest bet, you can leave today if you’d like we just need the payment and to get her to you, is that alright?” He asked. She looked at him and thought, looking at Pietro.
“Give me second. I need to talk to him real quick.” She pointed to Pietro and started walking towards him. “Pietro.”
He looked at her. “Yes frumoasă?”
She rolled her eyes at the nickname. “I need you to call Dad, or Sam and get them to come pick us up. We can bring the pup back today; we need to ask Tony to take a look at her.”
He sighed, “alright I will call them.” He stood and taking out his phone called Sam to tell him to pick them both up as she walked back to the vet.
“Okay we can take her today; we just need to go get our stuff from the hotel real quick and we pick her up right after.”
“No problem, don't forget to pay the bill on the way out, see you later.” He smiled and went back to wherever he came from.
“Alright walk and talk Silver, we still need to grab our stuff.” She said as he was still on the phone.
“Coming.” He followed behind her as he ended the call and when they exited it wasn’t raining anymore. Which was nice but it was hazy. “So, what is it we’re doing again just so I know what's happening.”
“We’re taking the puppy home, and Tony needs to look over her cause the vet man said there were…Abnormalities? Yes, abnormalities in her genes.”
“So, we bring her back and Tony tests on her more, okay.”
“Well, I think it will be fine, by the way the other animals, except the healthy ones and her of course all died. So that’s why it’s only her.”
He looked at her a bit shocked and looked down as they kept walking till, they got to the rooms and got their mission clothes. They put them in the ‘rue 21’ bag she kept one of her guns on her though, you can never be too ready. They gave the receptionist their keys and left right back to the clinic. Even without Steve forcing them to, they were training.
Once they got back Chelsea was at her desk again and Veronika went up to her.
“Here to pay and pick up the pup.” Veronika smiled slightly; half her face covered so her sight was a little off.
“Great! Laura, can you get that dalmatian pup Doctor Shaw was takin care of?”
“Sure Chels!” A girl yelled from the back. Chelsea rang up the bill for the animals that survived and the tests, it was pretty pricey, but this is Tony’s card they’d be fine. While Veronika was signing things, she saw in her peripheral vision Chelsea giving Pietro a look. She finished signing and stood in front of her eyes.
“Here ya go, can we get-”
“Here she is! She’s a bit feisty.” The girl who Veronika thinks is Laura came in holding the puppy with a leash. Veronika smiled and rushed to grab the puppy.
“Hey girl.” She whispered as she grabbed her and the leash. The dog’s tail started wagging and she sniffed Veronika excitedly. “I missed you too pup.”
“Ooh she likes you a whole bunch. I hope you keep her after your friends test her.” Veronika smiled a little at Laura’s statement, maybe.
“We’ll see. So we set to-” She turned to see Pietro yet again flirting and sighed. “Maximoff! When will Sam be here?”
He looked away from Chelsea and towards her “he said he’d get here as fast as he could. That was 30 minutes ago? How long does it take the quinjet to fly?”
“Well considering it moves faster than a regular plane by the end of the day?” Veronika shrugged. “We can wait that long, how about you go get food? I’m sure you’re hungry, with your fast metabolism and events you’ve been up to-”
“Where do you suggest Prințesă?” He said cutting her off and stepping in front of her. But she saw Chelsea’s eyes widen.
“There’s a good Denny’s next door you can go there.” Chelsea said recovering from the fact she knew Veronika knew about last night.
“Thank you, Chelsea. It was nice to meet you.” It really was, Chelsea was nice, but she felt bad for embarrassing her.
“Y’all as well, stay safe now.” She put on a smile at the two staring particularly long at Pietro and Veronika led him out and to the ‘Denny’s’.
“Okay go get a breakfast for yourself, and get her like a bowl of water?” She said, handing him the card. Still holding onto the puppy.
“Alright, you okay out here?”
“I think I will be. Just hurry up.” She looked at the pup and sat on the ground with her. He looked at her and sighed. He went into the place and ordered to-go and waited for the food to come. She kept to her spot on the ground petting the pup on her lap.
“You know we should probably give you a name. You must not like being called ‘the puppy’.”
Veronika whispered to her the dog looked at her as if listening to what she said. “What about Spot?” The dog sneezed as if saying ‘no’. Veronika laughed, “Okay, how about Minnie?” the dog shook her head, and so Veronika thought for a moment, making a ball in her hands and letting the pup mess with it as she thought. The ball looked like a little moon which she thought was kinda funny, she started getting an idea, “Artemis!” The pup shot her head to the girl and barked excitedly, wagging her tail. “You like that name girl?” She laughed and the dog barked again and jumped back into Veronika’s lap.
The pup licked her chin and she giggled and held onto her as she kept petting her.
Soon Pietro came back out, and Veronika looked at him. He put the little bowl of water down for Artemis and sat on the ground next to Veronika.
“Here you go.” He handed over a box and she opened it and saw waffles with butter and syrup in packages waiting to decorate the food. And she wasn’t going to lie it looked good, though she ate waffles already this morning she wanted these.
“Why’d you get me these?”
“Well, thought you’d be hungry too.”
She looked at him quizzically and nodded, “thanks Silver.”
“No problem.” He muttered eating the food he got for himself which was quite a lot.
She took the plastic fork and knife he gave her and started digging into the butter to put it on the waffles and ate them. The pup drank quickly, finishing her water and moving back to cuddle between Pietro and Veronika as they sat on the ground. People passed them giving odd looks but they honestly could care less.
“So, what else should we do while we wait?” Pietro asked.
“Well, we can try going around the town for a little while?”
He looked around at the place they were at and stood. “Alright let us go?”
She nodded and stood holding the loop of the pup’s leash. “Okay Artemis let’s go.” She threw away their trash and felt eyes on her.
You named her?! She read his thoughts because he was giving her a look.
“Yes, I did. You have problem with it?”
He sighed, rolling his eyes. “Why Artemis?”
“Well, she likes it. Also, it’s a powerful name of a goddess, the goddess of the hunt and moon. And considering her spots and that she liked the little moons I made in my hand I thought it was nice.”
He looked at her and the pup as he threw his own trash away. “Hmm, interesting, well I guess let’s get going then.”
She nodded and they walked to and through the town they were in. They walked and she kept having to carry Artemis because she was still tired. It was sunny and stayed misty with rain throughout the day, that was the only bad part, but they kept to their paces, and she saw a bookstore and got a little excited.
“Can I go in really quickly? There’s this Group...ch-chat?” She thought that was the word and just wasn’t sure of it. “The thing on the phone where you text a lot of people,” She summarized, “well Steve wanted me to be a ‘normal teenager’ and Nat set me up with teens from a high school Tony’s been keeping an eye on and I’ve been doing some virtual stuff for you know the school, Wanda has too.” she was ranting, and she didn’t really know why but here they were. “Well anyways one of the kids has been talking about this book called ‘Harry Potter’. I have like four of the books. Can I just go see if they have the last three?”
He looked at her weird. “I don’t understand any of what you said, but sure, here’s the card I’ll hold your Artemis, go check whatever it is.”
She smiled slightly and handed him her pup, “Stay with him and be good, okay?”
Bark.
“Thank you. I’ll be back.” She smiled while taking the card. Tony is going to kill them, but you know that's future themselves problems. She ran into the store and Pietro sighed sitting on a bench looking at Artemis.
“You don’t hate me, right?”
Artemis sneezed, he laughed slightly.
“Alright good feelings then, I guess you are a pretty cute pup.” Artemis barked and licked his chin he chuckled, eh maybe Veronika was right about her, but she definitely doesn’t need to know that.
After a good few minutes Ver walked out holding a bag of a few pretty heavy looking books and took her pup back and gave him the card, pockets, he has them. “Alright, ready?”
“You want me to carry those for you?”
“I can handle them.” She said, moving forward.
“All I have is this ‘rue 21’ bag, you can’t possibly carry a heavy dog and those books Ver-”
“I said I’m fine Silver. Why do you care?”
“I don’t know?”
She scoffed. “I’m fine, I’ve carried worse trust me. Let’s go, okay?”
He sighed and followed her, and they walked through more of the town. The funniest part is that they yelled at each other that morning but had one of the best days together walking and going around town. Entering and leaving stores and talking. It was strange for both of them, but I guess that’s normal with people who fight on two sides of the same coin that keeps flipping.
When they went back to the clinic, it was really late, around 11, 12p.m. and seeing the Quinjet they went to it Pietro carrying bags he had and her having some of her own.
“So, you didn’t kill each other, glad to see you’re getting along though.” Sam said as Ver came near him to put her bags and puppy near one of the three beds they place on the jet.
“Yeah yeah, I’m tired. Can we go home now?” she answered, and he laughed.
“Alright take your rest, I’ll wake you up when we get there okay?”
“Mhm” She hummed, laying down. Pietro laid on one of the beds as well and as soon as the plane took off, they were out. Artemis curled up with her and they slept soundly…
Almost soundly…
Home, they go.