Monster Problems in Paradise
***THE NEXT DAY***
Veronika woke up late around 12 P.M., she walked out of her room thankful for the fact she got sleep and headed towards the kitchen. Wanting to get some water and a little snack. She turned down the corner of the sleeping quarters hall and found her destination: the kitchen but someone standing at the stove cooking.
Someone with silver, blondish hair and a dog sitting very close by waiting for him to drop something, ANYTHING, for her. Veronika smiled at the sight, Artemis’ eyes trained on her father and him humming as he shook his head. That’s when Veronika noticed his earplugs in his ears.
Ever since he’d gotten a phone and earplugs, he loved listening to music, his current obsession being Chase Atlantic, The Neighborhood, And the Arctic Monkeys .
Non-stop, literally all that he plays or listens to.
Unless Veronika and Wanda make him listen to something but either way. And honestly Veronika also liked his tastes in music, so she didn’t mind when he played it.
But present time she was unwittingly smiling at her boyfriend as he was humming “Do I Wanna Know” By the Arctic Monkeys . Probably her favorite song, that was on his favorite's playlist. Which compelled her to go behind her boyfriend and wrap her arms around his torso causing him to go rigid. But when he saw the black and white painted nails and hands of his lovely girlfriend he relaxed.
She put her head on his back and using her powers unplugged his ear plugs from his phone.
“Crawling back to you!”
“Ever thought of callin’ when you’ve had a few?”
“‘Cause I always do!”
“Maybe I’m too busy being yours to fall for somebody new”
“Unplugged to have a hear, did you?” he laughed, not complaining, just finding it funny, because well he knew she loved this song. He removed the unplugged earbuds from his ears, moving them to the counter.
“I like song.” She said muffled as her face was in his shirt.
“I know you do. You know I was going to come wake you up.” he said as he kept cooking the food.
“Why didn’t you?”
“I thought you wouldn’t want to talk to me.” He shrugged.
“You think I’m mad at you.”
“Read my mind?” He still didn’t love that whole idea but he knew it came with dating her and he was used to it because of Wanda. Though her trust in him has grown, so most times that outweighs the need to read his mind.
“Force of habit.” She shrugged.
“But are you mad?”
“No dorogoy . Not at you.”
(Dear)
He tilted his head, still paying attention to his food. “Then who frumoasă ?”
She debated with everything. Her heart tells her to talk to him. But her head saying, no SCREAMING, at her to not tell him. Overthinking being the main resident as it made her think:
He’ll hate you.
He’ll think you’re a monster.
He’ll leave you.
As if all the scars and pain that Dreykov inflicted onto her is her own fault. He won’t do that to her.
Right?
“ Draga, who are you mad at?” he said, having turned to face her completely, removing her temporarily from her thoughts. His eyes showcasing worry as she stayed quiet. The music still playing around them is forgotten; his focus on her and her focus on how to tell him the truth.
“Myself.” she said, moving from his arms.
“What does that mean Veronika?” he furrowed his brows in question at the back of her head.
She turned to face him a bit. “It means I hate that I’ve been lying—hiding from you, Mama, and Dad. Wanda knew because she saw it but…there’s something no one else knows about me or what happened…and it makes me sick thinking I’ve lied to the people I care for most.”
“What about Lumina stelelor ?”
(Starlight)
She tilted her head, that’s a new nickname.
When did he come up with that?
Not the time.
“My family.” She finally said.
“Y-your family? What do you mean?” His confusion grew as her silence came and went and she would give short answers.
“Remember After family game night a year ago…We talked about–well you pointed out that I “don’t have a sibling” so I have no right to say anything.” She started moving around the kitchen in a semicircle around him.
“Ver I-”
“No, I haven’t finished.” She said, before continuing. “Because I must tell you, you were wrong, I DO have a sibling. A little sister. Her name was Antonia…” She whispered looking at a ring, not any ring specifically, just one of her rings on her hand. She smiled painfully.
“‘Was’?” He looked at the back of his girlfriend’s head as that was all he could see. “She-”
“She died, yes.” She said cutting him off. “One thing to know Pietro, my birth father did ANYTHING to stay on top. Will do ANYTHING to stay on top. But staying on top came with prices and my sister, my little sister…she was that price. I was that price. Her death, and…me were his prices. And he didn’t care about the prices.” She sighed and looked around again. “There is point to why I’m telling you this. I want to warn you about something.”
He was baffled by all her words and was staring at her with brows furrowed, eyes narrowed, and head tilted. “What is it Veronika?”
“My father…he’s…” she stared at her hands and saw the stars and shadows surrounding her fingertips she made fists. “He’s who handed me to HYDRA…he’s who…” She tried not to cry. She was always good at hiding emotions, just for some reason he pulled them from her, every time. “He was the one who ran the Red Room. General Dreykov is…WAS my father. And he is who made me this, this monster, this thing that I am.”
His eyes were bewildered and so confused. “Wait, your father is who made you an assassin? Your father put you in HYDRA?”
“Yes…”
“Then why are you calling yourself the monster? He made you something you didn’t want to be, Veronika.” He went up to her and held her shoulders. “You are not a monster.”
“You do not know the story to deem that-”
“I know you.” He said leaning so their eyes met. “You said this,” he ran his hands down her arms to her hands “wasn’t your choice. That means you didn’t want this. Which means you, Iubirea mea , are no monster.” he pulled her to him and kissed each of her cheeks.
She stared at him in bewilderment. ‘My love’ those words slipping from his mouth.
“Then you understand why I can’t sign those accords now?” She started after a minute “ You may not think I am monster. But these people are just like Dreykov, and Strucker will make us weapons for them to use.” she said exasperated. Her eyes on him desperately.
He stared at her and looked down.
Regret.
“Veronika, I already told your mother I’m signing them.”
Her heart sank.
“Wh-what?”
“Tony promised you and Wanda’s safety if I did. Veronika they—we—can protect you from that fate and I think by signing them-”
“WHY! You- Why would you want to do that!? What does Wanda think of this?!”
“She doesn’t know, and you weren’t supposed to know. This is a deal I made with Tony and Nat-”
“Tony!? YOU BELIEVE HE CARES ABOUT ME AND WANDA!?” She yelled. Artemis whimpered as she saw tension rising. “He cares about nothing—NO ONE—but himself Pietro! You thought that once, but now you’re putting your trust in him?”
“TO PROTECT THE ONLY PEOPLE, I HAVE LEFT? YES.” He yelled back. At this the pup of theirs ran out the room, like a child removing themselves from the room their parents are fighting in. “The only people I love. These accords will make everything so much easier! You and I can date publicly, we can live lives! You said you wanted to feel normal. What if this was our way?”
She stared at him, he said; ‘The only people he loves’, right? Or was she imagining that with all the yelling.
“The point of our hiding is because that will make things worse…” she whispered.
She never said this in her rules, yes, she wanted slow, wanted her parents to be oblivious but the main reason was because the other reason Dreykov kept her alive after Antonia.
The only thing never done to her that was done to every. Other. Widow.
“What!? Are you serious now?” He tilted his head. “So, you’re telling me we were NEVER going to tell we’re dating? Not even tell Nat or Steve?” Eyes narrowed he stared at her. “Were you?” He asked expectedly.
“Pietro with everything I just told you, you don’t understand politics or what people will go through to ruin things-”
“So, it’s ANOTHER thing about trust.”
“IT’S ABOUT WHAT HE WOULD DO TO YOU! YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT ANY OF THIS PIETRO!”
“THEN FUCKING TELL ME VERONIKA!” He yelled. "STOP KEEPING ME IN THE DARK ABOUT STUFF LIKE THIS!"
She took a second and stepped back away from him. Yes, their arguments before they were together were bad, but they’ve never raised their voices at each other. So, she was feeling off with this.
“If Dreykov knows I have a boyfriend…specifically an enhanced boyfriend he’d do anything to hurt me enough to make me listen to him…that means hurting you. Doing things and I’m the-” She paused and sighed. “He would take all that I…Love” She mumbled the last part “and rip it from me, or hurt it, you, till I gave him what he wants-”
“What does he want from you, Ver?” Pietro asked, eyeing her.
“Power…” she chuckled blandly. “He wanted my power multiplied. If he found out I was in a relationship with another who had power...If we had/have kids, he'd use them. You realize how skilled someone like me would be if they had superspeed added to that? Specifically, YOUR TYPE OF SPEED.”
He raised a brow and his gaze softened. “You mean he’d-”
“He’s done that for years with his best widows paired with other assassins. Making the most skillfully, powerful couples. Making whatever child they produce useful to him, specifically girl children. He had been pairing me in an arranged marriage since I was 5. But the boy ran away from his organization months before I ran from the Red Room. He has to be around your age. He and I met a lot, liked each other but- I can't remember.” She was ranting about the boy she knew too much she stopped herself. “He’s not important. What I’m saying is, he would do that to us and I-” her eyes were watering a little.
Pietro went up to her again and pulled her to him. “I promise you Veronika, he wouldn’t get close to you with me around…” he looked into her eyes. “And if we have kids, he’d be dead before he could look at them with Nat and I, and even you are protecting them.” he promised. He lifted her head to be in full eye to eye contact with him. “We’ll take care of each other Ver…” He pulled her into a hug. “We’ll take care of each other.”
She sighed and hid her face in his shirt again. “We’ll take care of each other.” She promised.
Her hands resting on his stomach as he held her slowly she slid her arms around him.
“ Tu ești soarele meu de amiază, Pietro ” She muttered with a small smile.
(You’re my midday sun Pietro)
He chuckled, knowing why she specifically said ‘midday’. “ Și tu ești Veronika mea Starlight .” he says, smiling at her and running his fingers through her hair.
(And you’re my Starlight Veronika)
“But this doesn't mean I’m signing, okay?”
He sighed but to avoid another argument he just kissed her hair again. “I know…”
He thinks he’s keeping her safe. That’s all he wants. Wanda and her safe.