Wonderland: fell down a rabbit hole, you held on tight to me (‘cause nothing’s as it seems)

It was during the time that the twins were in their third Movie Night---they skipped a lot for various reasons, one of them being that they were too sleepy to come out of their rooms, like the true room hermits that they had become--when a beach scene came up in the movies. Pietro spoke then, or well, whispered to her.

“Beaches look so fun, sestra, do you think we can convince Steve to let us travel somewhere tropical like Hawaii where the beaches are, even just for a mission? I want to go to a place like that.”

Wanda winced, she remembered all her geography lessons, and knew that tropical place with beaches, but back then, in this time, she and Pietro had only learned the necessities, and all else they had learned from books she had nicked, and open libraries--that often didn’t stay open for long--but since their schooling had stopped when they were 10 years old, and books weren’t a necessity, they didn’t really know much aside from the basics. Definitely not proper geography.

However, behind closed doors, since there were days neither wanted to practice, but both wanted to do something--and they were banned from playing the catch-the-magic-sphere in their room--Wanda had begun to tutor Pietro and teach him all she knew, and all she had learned and been taught in the past life. She had started with math, science, history, and english though, so geography hadn’t yet been covered.

In her past life, because of her grief about Pietro, she needed a distraction. She found her distraction in studying, because if she was making her brain hurt with mathematical formulas, instructions on how to write essays, world history, art and music theories, and geography, then she couldn’t focus on the hurt in her heart.

She had used the internet, looked up all the subjects students learned, and found various study lessons, for all grades, and she worked her way up from the grade she and Pietro had stopped at. Physical education, she didn’t need to do, since she was training with Steve and Natasha as an Avenger, and science, Vision was all too happy to teach her, he would talk on and on about it, and he was delighted anytime she asked a question, or even asked him to explain the basics. The fact that she had a crush on her science ‘teacher’, had helped her push through the confusion about chemistry, biology, physics, and overall science.

As soon as Pietro made his comment, she regretted putting off geography for last, but to be fair, she thought he would learn geography pretty easily, because of his powers. To catch up with his speed, his brain had the ability to work faster, (and that’s how he read half of her restarting book collection, and judged her for how it was all sapphic), and with his faster brain speed, so came a faster thought process, and able to break down certain hard complex ideas and lessons faster, because of how much he could think it over and consider in a second. And with that faster brain speed also came a better memory, one that rivalled Wanda’s vivid memory, often helped by magic too probably.

Also she sort of hated geography.

She wondered if she could get away with turning back time, but then remembered it was far past minutes, far past hours, or even days. And she hadn’t yet mastered time travel, because she didn’t even know her powers could go that far back. Also, she’d watched enough time travel movies to know abusing time travel would just end in chaos for her.

However, that was all she winced about, she did like Pietro’s plan. Even in her old life, she had never gone to the beach. It was hard to find time to, between grieving over Pietro, living on the run (which was easy, because it was just like living on the streets, but there was more money, and more mandatory staying inside, which pleased her introverted self), and then being trapped in the Raft, healing in Wakanda, and then fighting Thanos, WestView, Isolation in her cabin while she read the Darkhold, and then hunting America.

She had, however, seen more scenes and opinions about the Beach than Pietro did. And despite the fact that she had heard and seen many scenes/conversations in movies or shows where they complained about sand getting everywhere, and gross feelings of moss under the water.

She wanted to go.

“We need to study geography,” she whispered back. “Beaches exist in New York too, Piet… or well, in America. I’m sure there’s some place farther we could just drive there, instead of-- genuinely, Piet, please don’t let your desire to see the beach define what mission you’re going to choose for us.”

Wanda had lasted a month, before her procrastinating and her excuses got Steve to complain to Natasha again, and suddenly, they were going to go on their mission, and that was it, and they wouldn’t get a word in, aside from what mission they would take.

Wanda wasn’t surprised, since her last excuse (“I am… allergic to missions?” “Yes, Captain Steve, my sister is deathly allergic to-- really, Wanda? Allergies?”) was pretty… outlandish and experimental, to say the least. Even Pietro couldn’t support it without a second thought, and that’s when she knew she should probably admit she was out of excuses.

Wanda spent the weekend considering, and discussing with Pietro, the abilities that she had before, and how to pretend her abilities were as it once was, and not as powerful as it currently was, to keep her secret, and make sure her powers weren’t overly exploited, like they knew she could be. Pietro hadn’t lived far after 24, so it wasn’t yet known if he would get more powerful with time as well.

They both decided that Pietro would choose for them.

“Do you think we can go this weekend?”

It was a Friday, and there wasn’t a training session in the weekend, so she nodded, and turned back to the Movie, which they were both only now just realizing that was paused. Here’s the thing about whispering in a quiet room: if you do so, in a room with attentive Avengers, especially when you have a naturally low voice, that is attention-catching, no matter how quiet you think you were, people will hear.

Specifically, the previously mentioned attentive Avengers in the room.

Sam is the first to speak and break the silence (because of course he is). “You’ve never been to the beach?!”

The twins turn to him, with blank faces and he quiets down immediately—because she knows that he thinks it’s always creepy how fast they can change expressions, and how most times they seem to be doing everything in sync, and since just about no one knew about their telepathic conversations, because of their well-practiced stoic faces, he also found the fact that they were so silent and intense when together a little bit uncomfortable and very intimidating—so they both roll their eyes (also in sync).

“During when—” Wanda starts

“—while we lived in a war-stricken third-world poor Eastern European cold country—” Pietro adds on.

(She might have told him about how the Avengers all collectively feel unsettled when they act intense and ‘creepily’ in sync.

He was absolutely delighted with the fact, so he had since then started to plan and count in his head, projecting his thoughts out to her, so they would absolutely be in sync for everything he wanted them to be in sync in. Not that they weren’t in sync naturally already.)

“—do you think we found the time to visit a beach?”

She hears a ‘1, 2, 3’ in her head from Pietro, and then, ‘narrow your eyes’

As if she wasn’t about to do that already.

She and him narrow their eyes at Sam, and he shrinks back. Pietro fights to keep a straight face, and Wanda fights to not laugh as well at, because even if she played along, the absolute smugness and satisfaction he gets on making Sam (and other Avengers) uncomfortable is far too funny for her to keep a straight face effortlessly.

‘Oh hell nah.’ she heard Sam think. ‘Not this shit again.’

‘don’tlaughdon’tlaughdon’tlaugh.’ both twins chanted to each other in their minds, keeping eye contact so as to focus on something else aside from the hilarity of Sam’s reactions.

Steve shifted to turn to them as well. “That does make sense, but it really sure is sad. To have never before been to a beach.” His eyes glazed in the same way that hers and Pietro’s did when they were remembering not quite so pleasant things in his past. They knew better than to let him stay in his head, and risk letting him get dragged into darker thoughts, which would then cause nightmares later, which Wanda didn’t want to deal with and Pietro still thought she would get bothered by. Since he still thought she was sleeping and all that.

“Yeah, we haven’t.”

“Right.” Steve said, snapping out of it with a shake of his head. “So we should all go to the beach, then!”

“Hell yeah!” Sam cheered, throwing his hands up, and knocking Steve’s popcorn bowl off the blond’s hands, sending it flying all over Steve, and Natasha. Popcorn stuck in her red hair, prompting laughter from Tony and Clint, while Sam shrunk away for the second time and Steve chuckled sheepishly, picking off one popcorn from her hair.

Natasha lunged for Sam, teasingly of course (probably), while Steve held her back by the waist (an act that did not trigger jealousy in Wanda).

⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰

The thing the twins realized later on, on the day of their beach trip, was that despite what they’d watched in films—even Wanda’s wider knowledge of films—they didn’t actually know what to pack.

“Sunscreen?” Pietro yelled. “Do we really need this, aren’t we superheroes? This– you know what, I’m not gonna bring it.” he tells her, throwing it to the side.

“Unless you’re more powerful than a large ball full of gas and plasma, a star built of nuclear fusion and radioactive reactions that’s far bigger than the Earth, and pulls our entire solar system together, then you will bring that damn sunscreen, Pietro!” She turns back to her closet, looking at the two swimsuits she had finally narrowed her choices down to. “I didn’t buy that overpriced thing for nothing.”

“It sounds like you’re the one that doesn’t want to bring it.”

“I’m also the one that could potentially be stronger than a star. If I so wanted to, I could probably make that star go away, and still keep the solar system together, and the Earth spinning, as it should.”

“Psh…” Pietro shook his head, but fetched the sunscreen. “Your powers are completely unfair.”

“So was my life, so I think it balances.” Wanda jokes, causing Pietro to sputter out a surprised laugh.

“Tell me more about Tony’s team.” Pietro says. “They sound pathetic.”

“...” Wanda shifted from where she stood, and shrugged. “Perhaps. I don’t… I don’t really remember…much.”

“Remind me again about how you took down that goddamn metal cock?”

Ah, yes, that was a thing that had been happening recently. Pietro had started to refuse calling Tony Stark by any of his actual names. Not even his last name. It was hilarious the first few days, and then he started running out of nicknames and seemed to refuse to reuse any new nicknames, and then it just started to get crude.

Especially that fucking phrasing, with that nickname. She didn’t want her brother to sound like he was discussing how she fucked herself on a fucking metal dildo. She scrunched her face up in disgust at the way of speech he used. She wouldn’t even have known what he meant had it not been for their bond, and his thoughts slipping quietly to her, making misunderstandings between them near impossible.

“I pulled down cars until he couldn’t avoid them all and got stuck under the weight of them all.” She smiled at the thought. “Also please never say that again. You make it sound like I was… just please don’t.”

“Make you sound like wh– ohh– OHHH– Oh My God!!” He realized, horrified. “Oh my god, remove my memories! UGH! GET THAT IMAGE OUT OF MY HEAD!! DISGUSTING!”

Wanda agreed, completely.

“You and Tony…”

Even worse.

“Why is that where your mind went?” She demanded, turning around to face him.

“Why!?” He asks. “Where did your mind go?”

“Masturbation!”

“Ohhh… OHHH— nO, EW!”

“It’s better than thinking of me sleeping with fucking Tony Stark!”

“It is not!”

“How is it better to think of your twin sister sleeping with your nemesis, the man who caused our parents’ death than to think of your twin doing a completely normal thing?!”

“Well, one, both are disgusting! Two, because why would you do that with something… metal…”

Wanda gagged. “Please. Can we just… move away from this conversation. This is horrifying.”

“I agree.” Pietro scrunched his nose. “Are you sure you can’t make me forget?”

“I can.” Wanda told him, and turned back to her swimsuits, still considering the pros and cons of the different red-black swimsuits. “But with our bond, you’d receive the memory in the foreseeable future easily if ever I’m reminded of it, but get it from my point of view, and if I have to live with the memory of that horrifying, terrible, awful conversation. Then so will you.”

Pietro stuck his tongue out at her, or, well…to her back. “Evil. You are evil!”

“And you are dirty minded.” She scoffed. Then she turned around, with the two swimsuits. “I cannot decide. Which looks better?”

Pietro physically shivers, “Do you really have to ask me about something like that now, sestra? I’m still not over it.”

“Forget about it! And yes, of course I’m asking right now!” She groans. “We’re going to the beach in four hours, and I don’t have a motherfucking swimsuit, Piet!”

Pietro sighed, and turned his attention to her two choices. “Red. You’re thin enough that you don’t need black. Now, do we have goggles?”

Wanda, who was putting the black swimsuit back into her closet, stopped to think. “No, I don’t think so.” She waved her arm, and on her side of the bed, following a movement of scarlet mist, appeared two goggles. One that was blue and one that was red (not that the twins would ever admit it, but they did like to colour scheme themselves). “But now we do.”

“Sweet! Thanks!”

Wanda hummed, with a small smile, as she hung up the black swimsuit. She was glad to be in this safe space again, where her powers could do things she could be thanked for, not feared for.

“I think that’s everything.” Pietro says after she packs her swimsuit into their bag (the likeliness of their bag getting lost lessens greatly if they share it). “Since we still have four hours, can we watch Ultimate Beastmaster?”

“So you can brag about how you can do all of the obstacles easily and are better than everyone else, despite the fact they’re normal humans, and you’re an enhanced speedster?”

Pietro nodded.

“Sure, turn it on. I’ll go make us a snack bowl.”

Pietro smiled, delighted, and lunged for the remote on her side of the bed, resting his head on her pillows, as he turned on their TV. She sat across their mini-fridge, bringing over two bowls to her with her telekinesis. She sorted the fruits into the first bowl, adding ice into the bowl to keep it cool. Then once her fruit bowl was finished, she turned to their snack shelf, and threw a mixture of Pietro’s favourite chips (plain lays, plain doritos, spicy cheetos, and sour cream and onion pringles), and some pretzels.

Both hands full, she used her magic to open their mini-fridge again and got their drinks. For Pietro, root beer. For her, grape juice.

As she walked over to their bed, to give him his snacks, he looked at her fruit bowl and sneered. “You sure you get the meaning of ‘snack bowl’, Sestra?”

She rolled her eyes, and took a seat on the spot next to him. “It’s called eating healthy, Piet. Something I have to do, because I don’t have your metabolism. And I happen to like my fruit bowl, thank you very much, so stop judging me and start judging them.”

“I want to apply for Ultimate Beastmaster someday.” said Pietro as he turned back to the screen, and started eating his chips. “I would do so good.”

“I don’t think it’d be fair for the other countries if a speedster joined it.”

“Well, we could have all the Avengers there too. Natasha and I would represent Russia, Steve and Clint would represent America, T’Challa and Sam would represent Africa–”

“--pfft, Africa’s not a country, it’s a continent, and Sam’s not-”

“--shh, sestra. And then that’s our four countries.”

She really needed to start teaching geography soon.

“Alright, well, despite the fact that that’s three, and you’re apparently incapable of counting, and Africa’s a continent; Six countries compete, Piet.”

“OKAY, then… then, you and Bucky participate as… Europe?”

Wanda rubbed her forehead and paused the show, turning to her brother. “I’ll let that slide. Again. So, keep going.”

“Hmmmmmmmm…” Pietro scratched his head. “Well, Thor and Vision can take Norse… What is… Where did Norse myths come from? Vikings… Germany?”

“Norway is one of the places.”

“Right, so your toaster boyfriend, and the mighty God can represent Norway. And then for the last country, uhmmmm…” He clapped his hand together and leaned on it, as he thought. “Huh… Dr. Strange, and Loki represents England.” He nodded with finality.

“Loki’s not an Avenger. Nor is he English.”

“Yeah, but he has that English accent. So it counts.”

“It does not.”

“It does in this scenario, sister!”

“Fine, so we’ve got the Avengers competing…and Loki. Who’s going to make sure they don’t use their powers? Because if they use their powers, no matter how tough that ‘Beast’ is, it’s gonna get ruined by us.”

“Not if you create it, because even if they do, you could keep remaking it. And I’m sure they’d follow the rules, they’re all heroes.”

“--aside from Loki.”

“Yes, aside from him.”

“Right, now here are your other problems. Russia, Norway, America, Africa, and Bucky, have advantages over us. Loki, Stephen, and me? We rely on magic! Can we fight? Yes, absolutely. We hold our own, even against them, but the Beast asks for physical capabilities not fighting.”

“It works the same. You guys could so do it if you wanted. You have your healing, flexibility, and stamina. You’d do just fine against us. Loki…is a God, and Stephen…uhm… well he probably works out a lot…?”

Wanda facepalmed.

“Moving on.” Pietro announced. “I think that if that did happen, I would be second place to Steve, but end up winning in the end.”

“You’d be first place and lose in the end.” She argued. “No, actually, you’d be sixth place, and lose in the end. You wouldn’t even be in the finals. Thor and Steve would. And Vision would probably be third, T’Challa would be fourth or fifth, and Bucky would also be fourth or fifth.”

“We would never know, unless we actually tried it out!”

“We’re not trying it out. There has never been a period in time in which we were all existing together in one area. Some of us were dead when others were there, and when we were alive, they weren’t there.”

“You could bring them together!”

“I will not!” She protested, shoving an apple slice into Pietro’s mouth. “Now just watch the damn show.”

After chewing, and swallowing, Pietro stabbed an apple slice with a fork and pointed it at her. “I swear to you, I will make it happen.”

⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰

Four hours passed quickly, watching Ultimate Beastmasters, and soon, they were all packed in the van—“to get the most normal beach experience that we can!” Steve had said, and also because more people came than they thought there would be coming—and their bags loaded in the back, and they were driving.

Steve and Natasha sat at the front. Tony, Sam and Clint were in the middle seat, bothering the two up front, which left the rest to sit at the back. The rest being Vision, Clint’s wife, Laura, and her kids (Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel-- Pietro meeting Nathaniel had been very emotional, and embarrassing. He started to cry at the sight of the baby, once he learned of his name, and he was trying really hard to deny that he was crying, but it was really obvious, so everyone was just trying to ignore him to spare his dignity), Pepper, Sam’s sister, Sarah, Darcy and Jane (they—Darcy—asked Wanda if they could come, and she said yes, despite the fact that Clint had said no and that it was too stuffed, because she wasn’t thinking particularly straight) and the Twins.

They didn’t account for just how the Avengers would last in a car for this long, when the twins hadn’t talked to many people, and were uncomfortable around the Avengers, and caused some of the Avengers to be uncomfortable around them.

Namely, Steve, Sam, Tony, and somewhat Clint.

They didn’t account for how Tony would talk to everyone like the weird atmosphere wasn’t there.

Or how kids would start asking questions after a few minutes of silence.

Or Darcy.

“So uh… how far are we from the beach?” Jane asked.

“Just half an hour away.” Steve answered.

“Ah, okay…” Clint nodded.

Tony tried to crack a joke, but the twins stared at him so judgmentally that he turned back and just started talking to Steve, Sam, Clint and Natasha again.

They all seemed to be under the impression that this was on purpose, and the twins didn’t like being in the car with them. They were wrong. The truth was this—

‘Should we talk?’ Pietro thought. ‘It’s such a fun day, and no one is talking, I think because of us, and I want everyone to be having fun when we get there, so we can have fun and have a good day. Aside from Tony.’

‘Okay…’ Wanda shrugged lightly, ‘You talk. Say something.’

‘I thought you had something to say.’

‘Why would I have anything to say? You’re the extrovert.’

‘You’re the Scarlet Witch.’

‘My powers include reality manipulation, not socialization.’ Wanda huffed. ‘And you don’t get to use the excuse that I’m the Scarlet Witch every time I can’t do something. I’m near omnipotent, not perfect.’

Ignoring her, Pietro continued. ‘And you know Clint better. Talk to him and maybe the conversations will start?’

‘He doesn’t know me. And last time we only got close, because he felt a responsibility to take care of me after I lost you.’ Wanda looks around the car. ‘Talk to Sam. You two are very alike.’

‘Talk to Darcy,  you invited her because you were too gay to think.’

‘Absolutely not.’

‘Talk to your boyfriend!’

‘Why should I talk? You’re known to be the more talkative person between the two of us!’

‘Well, I don’t know a lot of the people here. You do!

‘In another life, Piet! They don’t know me! A lot of them just talked to me because they were guilty that I lost you.’

‘That’s pretty depressing., sestra’

‘Yeah, I know!’ Wanda hissed. ‘So talk, fucker.’

Pietro trembled with barely contained laughter.

‘Maybe ask how the weather is right now?’

‘I’m not even sitting close to a window, how do I know what the fuck the weather is?’

‘Well, I’m assuming it must be nice if we’re going to a beach?’

“Who… are…” People’s attention drew right to Pietro, who was stammering through his words. Words he didn’t even know or plan out in the first place. “Uhm… hmm… so uhm… Kids, do you wanna see Wanda do a magic trick?”

Wanda froze, hands halting from where they were placed, spinning her ring in anxiousness, and though she didn’t mind doing magic tricks for Laura’s adorable kids, did he really have to throw her under the bus like so?

“What?” She whispered, then hissed again, quieter, glaring at him.

“Yeah! Yeah!” Lila cheered, and Nathaniel cooed. Cooper just crossed his arms.

Wanda whimpered quietly. “Yeah, magic tricks. I can do that.” Her voice wavered.

She noticed that everyone who had been intently staring at Pietro before, the moment he spoke, was now staring at her, with curiousity in their different multi-coloured eyes.

She had so many powers that now Wanda was struggling to think of what to do to impress the kids and not reveal too much of her powers. She eventually, after a long minute, in which the Kids got bored of waiting and started demanding, despite what Laura was telling them (“don’t pressure her!), decides.

“I know magic doesn’t exist.” Cooper huffed. “I’m old enough that I can’t be tricked by that! I’m 13-years-old!”

“Is that so?” Laura asks, raising a brow. “Well, then let’s see.”

Wanda smiles, and raises her hand, and flickers her fingers, creating small energy spheres, all around the kids, and popping them like fireworks, with Pietro creating the sound (“bang!! Boom!! Phew…!!) effects of Fireworks.

Lila clapped, and Cooper stared at the spheres all around them in amazement and complete surprise.

“Again, again!” Lila chanted.

Once again, Wanda repeated her tricks, repeatedly until Lila and Nathaniel—and Cooper—got bored. Well, not quite bored, but curious for something different.

“Do you have a new trick, Wandi– Wanda?”

Her heart melted, and she missed her kids all over again.

“Yeah, of course.”

‘You do?’ Pietro questioned.

‘I have every trick, I just don’t know which to use to not reveal myself.’  Wanda shrugged.

“Uhm, okay…” She thought clearly, and then sent her mind towards Lila and Cooper, entering their minds, but building walls inside their head, so she could let their memories and other thoughts be protected from her.

‘Hi.’

The kids’ eyes widened, and they awed. “That’s so cool! I can hear you in my head!” said Lila.

“It is cool, I guess.” Cooper admitted.

Wanda smiled, and the mood lifted a little more.

Pietro took the opportunity, and the better atmosphere, to talk to Sam from across the seats, and though the atmosphere was better, and easier, more fit for a beach day trip, Wanda wasn’t going to forget that Pietro threw her under the bus.

And she wasn’t going to let him forget too.

‘Sleep with one goddamn eye open, Piet.’

⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰

They arrived at the beach just as Wanda was telling most of… well, mostly everyone in the car (despite the adults’ best attempts to make it seem like they weren’t paying attention, Wanda could feel their interest, because she was a mind reader and an empath) about certain history fun facts that she knew, and because the kids seem to really like her accent. It was a history fact that had never left her mind, as one of her favourite history fun facts.

“So, here’s the story of how Switzerland invaded Liechtenstein three times. On December 5, 1985, Switzerland fired rockets that landed in Liechtenstein, which caused a forest fire. Compensation was paid and all was fine. That was the first time. The second time, on October 12, 1992, Swiss army cadets unknowingly crossed their border and went to Triesenberg to set up an observation post. They overlooked—or forgot—the fact that Triesenberg wasn’t in Switzerland territory, but Liechtenstein’s. Switzerland apologized to Liechtenstein for the incident. The third time, which I personally think is the best, was in March, 2007, when a company of about 170 Switzerland soldiers took a wrong turn in the dark and mistakenly entered Liechtenstein. They travelled 2 km into Switzerland before they returned back to their land. The Liechtenstein authorities didn’t know, until Switzerland told them themselves after the incident, and the incident was disregarded by both sides, as ‘it’s not like they invaded with attack helicopters’.”

“Oh, and!” Pietro piped in. “Don’t forget that one time the Liechtenstein army sent 80 men into battle against Italy, and came back with 81 soldiers.”

The kids chuckled.

Steve got out of the van and opened the doors for everyone. All 13 people in the back to exit (including Sam, Clint, and Tony). As Darcy exited, Wanda caught Steve’s eyes on her, and averted her eyes immediately.

She really wasn’t at fault for bringing Darcy along, okay?

No one told her that there was no more space, and Darcy was very persistent and convincing.

‘She said please like twice, and you gave in.’ Pietro comments from their link.

She ignores him, and instead turns to the back of the car, where everyone is taking their bags. She reaches for their bag first, and then for Mister Dibbles’ Stark made transport-supported turtle tank (despite his insistence to go to the beach, for the first time ever, he refused to go unless he could bring Mister Dibbles and no one argued), and handed him to Pietro. Then, of course, Liho’s cat-carrier, because if Pietro was bringing his pet, so was she.

It was a really petty argument that they had, that Pietro started by taunting her, and in the end, she found that she was packing Liho along for the beach trip.

(Not her best moment, for sure.)

The twins turn towards the beach, and stop, taken aback, not by how many people are there (she was, just a little bit, but Pietro definitely was not), but by the beauty. By the sand that looked so incredibly soft and the inviting waters, with the sunlight gleaming off of it, in the same way that light shone off of diamonds and crystals. And the happy faces of everyone as they played volleyball, or soccer, and ran about, or sat and talked.

She finds herself switching to more native languages (for example, Russian) in her bewilderment, “Мы на небесах, Пьетро? (Are we in Heaven, Pietro?)”

“Я так не думаю, сестра, но это может быть Рай. (I don't think so, Sister, but it could be Heaven.)”

Then she hears Natasha laugh, and in the haze of ‘herlaughissopretty’ and ‘shesoundslikeheaven’ thoughts, she realizes ‘sheknowsRussian—sheisRussian—andshejustheardus’ 

She blushes red, and sees Pietro look away from the beach to roll his eyes. He grabs her arm, and starts to run towards the beach, after all the other people—namely, the non-Avengers, meaning Darcy, Sarah, Pepper, Jane, Laura and her kids—had already walked towards the sand, to find a good big spot for all of them.

“Wait!” She calls, “I can’t run with all of this in my— slow down, Pietro!!”

“Just run faster!” he yells back.

They make it to the spot where Jane and Laura have put the large picnic blanket down to protect them from the sand, probably, and by the time they’ve stopped, Wanda has completely lost control, running fast downward while her arm was full of large baggage—one of them far more precious than the other, because it held her beloved Liho—and Pietro was completely in his element, grinning.

By the time they made it to the spot and stopped, Wanda crashed right into Pietro, and ended up tackling her brother right on top of the blanket, and Jane barely had time to move her hand away from where they landed. Wanda sees from the corner of her eye that Pietro has let go of the turtle tank in his surprise, and so she catches it with her magic to keep it from breaking, and surrounding Liho, to protect her, but neither were fully paying attention.

Wanda’s attention was on protecting their pets, and Pietro’s was on landing safely to protect her. When Liho’s cat carrier cage came right between them, and she was falling, face first right into the plastic end of her cat carrier, banging her head against the back of the carrier, while Pietro hit the metal bars of her carrier with his nose as well, they didn’t notice until it was too late.

“Ouch!” - Pietro

“Сука! (Bitch!)” - Wanda

“Гавно! (Shit!)” - Pietro

“Fuck!” - Wanda

“Ow, holy shit.” said the twins, finally, in sync.

Wanda didn’t know what it said about her that she was the first to curse between the two of them, and what it said about Pietro, whose first instinct was to say the word ‘ouch’. The twins both held their noses, and heads, both their noses bleeding though no damage was really done because of both their healing, they both still easily caused nosebleeds.

The Bartons—Clint and Laura included, but at least Laura tried to hide her laughter behind her hand—laughed at them, as the twins placed their pets down respectively, and kept their heads down the moment their noses began to bleed, so as to not choke on their blood. Wanda pulled their handkerchiefs—-Pietro carried them for the ladies, Wanda carried them because Pietro got hurt and dirty a lot—and gave Pietro his, for their blood, and the cleanliness of their clothes.

“Are you okay?” Pietro asked, his deep voice now slightly nasally.

“Yeah.” She answered, just as nasally, “You?”

“Yeah, I’m alright.” Pietro blew his nose into the handkerchief. “I hate that cat carrier.”

“I’m starting to hate it as well.”

“What an entrance.” Darcy cut in, approaching. “You guys are hilarious.”

Wanda looked up, handkerchief covering her nose. “O-oh, thanks!”

Pietro rolled his eyes, which was insulting, she didn’t even stutter because Darcy was pretty, she stuttered because she was socially anxious and didn’t quite know—or remember?—how to take praise and respond properly. Especially when one of the funniest people you know tells you that you and your brother are funny.

How was someone supposed to react to that? A thank you, right?

‘Shut up, Piet.’ she sent. ‘I’m not being gay, I’m being awkward.’

‘Oh, my bad.’ Pietro returned.

While the twins were staying as they were, talking to their pets, and waiting their nosebleed out (Pietro was scared sharks would come for them if he went to the beach, despite the fact this was… a shark free area and they were superheroes), the Avengers had already set their space all around them, moving fast and efficiently while the twins sat uselessly with their noses in a handkerchief.

Safe to say, their pride wasn’t the best by the time the nosebleed finished.

However, wounded egos aside, once they were ready to go out and hang out with the other Avengers, they wouldn’t be exaggerating to say it was one of their best days.

⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰

Wanda took off her sweatpants and oversized shirt, her swimwear under her outside clothes. When she turned back to Pietro, her brother had built a large sand-castle, and made a throne for Mister---or, well, King---Dibbles.

Beside him and his castle were four buckets, two full of sand, one filled with water, and a third full of sand castle moulds.

Because of course her brother’s first priority was sand castles. Honestly, it should have been hers too.

But, at least he had changed. Or, taken off his shirt and left himself in swim trunks.

She approached him, ready to join because the ocean could wait, “Is there a throne for Liho there?”

“No.”

Wanda knocked his kingdom over.

“NOOOOO!!!!” Pietro yelled, holding his head. “What did you do? You monster! You kingdom destroyer!”

And then Pietro tackled her. Wanda didn’t expect it, so when she went down, she went down with an “umph!” and grabbed at Pietro’s biceps back, trying to stop him from completely pinning her down, and in the same way Natasha taught her---it wasn’t an easy training day for her back then, she kept getting too flustered to pay attention---she pushed her hips up, knocking Pietro off, and while Pietro began to get his bearings back, she jumped on his back, causing him to fall, face first into the sand. And she reached a hand out to grasp his hair and force his head to slam into the sand again. He finally managed to lift his head off, and coughed, sputtering out sand, his face covered in sand and… well, just sand.

He reached on his back to get a grasp of her, but even when she did, she kept her headlock tight. That is, until he got up and slammed his back down on the ground, slamming Wanda. She groaned, and rolled out of the way before he could drop his elbow down her stomach.

This happened all the time even back in Sokovia. One major dispute, and they were fighting like they were genuinely aiming to kill the other. It was a troubling habit considering they didn’t have the money for any sort of treatment, not even first-aids. But a habit was a habit.

She was starting to grow aware of the civilians around them that were starting to notice them, could feel their minds as they tried to poke into hers, and waves of curiousity and confusion, and interest from all around them.

“Is there an Avengers dispute?” “Looks like it.”

“Are they fighting?” “Yeah, duh.”

“They’re Avengers, right?” “Yeah. Captain America and Black Widow are here too, see? There, watching from the back.”

“Did one of them do something?” “I think so. They seem mad at each other.”

“Ooh, Avengers drama?” “Yeah, they just started fighting each other. So far, the girl Avenger is winning, I think.”

“What happened?” “I don’t know, they just started brawling like crazy. He just tackled her out of nowhere.”

However, Pietro didn’t relent, despite the crowd. So neither did she.

She rolled away again as he tried to step on her, and pushed herself up, with a kick that landed at his wrist. He hissed in pain, and lunged at her again, but she had been far longer trained by Avengers than he had, and so she bent down, and let him roll down her back. What she didn’t expect---though probably should have had, because of his faster brain processing---was for him to grab her waist as he fell, and land fast enough to kick her legs out from under her, and she fell on top of her brother, who, with his arm still wrapped around her waist, took the opportunity to spin them around.

Still though, Wanda refused to let him have the upper hand and kept spinning, until they were wrestling in the water, salt water entering their mouth, and nose. Pietro held her underwater, and she closed her eyes as the sound of water muffled her senses, and then grabbed at sand and threw it in his eyes.

He yelled out and covered his eyes, giving her a chance to get him off of her and kick his stomach, while he was down. He groaned, and yelled after her, throwing his hand up to flip her off. She turned around for one second, and then she was being tackled all over again.

Holy shit, was her brother always this persistent?

She spun around, but Pietro held her down and forced her face into the sand like she did just a few minutes ago.

“Wow, what did they do to each other?” “I know right!” “They look like they’re trying to murder each other!”

“Why aren’t the Avengers stopping them? They’re just watching.”

“Which Avengers are they again?”

She felt a sharp sting as Pietro grabbed her hair and stuffed her face into the sand, and then again, lifted her.

“Apologize!”

“You’re the one who didn’t make something for Liho!” She yelled back.

He pushed her face into the sand again, and she closed her eyes and her mouth to keep sand from entering. He lifted her by her hair again.

“Apologize!”

“Fuck you too!” She refused to admit she’d done anything wrong. Plus, she had a feeling that Pietro was enjoying this way too much, and would still shove her face into the sand once more after she apologized, and she was fightingforherego.

Pietro plunged her head down into the sand, and she almost didn’t get to close her mouth and eyes. She freed an arm out from under him while he was distracted, and she used her magic to pull him back by his hair. He jerked back and rolled off of her, but by the time she had turned around and gotten up, standing by his buckets with a smile.

“Oh fu-” She closed her mouth instead of finishing her sentence as he lifted his first bucket of sand and threw it at her, then the second, and then the bucket of water.

She wiped her face when it was all done, and she was soaked, with sand stuck to her.

“Apologize.” He said, smirking. “You never should have touched my sand castle.”

“That’s what the fight was about?”

“Are you sure they’re Avengers, Adam?” “I mean yeah, that’s Captain America!”

“And Black Widow!” someone yelled from the crowd, to add in.

“Yeah, and I think that’s the new recruits, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff!”

“Are they alright?”

Wanda sputtered, and moved her hair away from her mouth. “Fine.” She rolled her eyes, and as she opened her mouth to apologize, she heard Darcy’s voice yell;

“GUYS, THE TURTLE!”

They turned their heads towards the direction they had left Mister Dibbles in, and saw him crawling back into the water.

“Wait, no, Mister Dibbles!” Pietro yelled. He dashed forward, super speed in effect, but the wave got to the turtle first, and so Wanda reached out, lifting him out of the water, while Pietro ran towards the chaos magic encased turtle, and hug him close.

“I saved him, does that make us even?” Wanda asked.

“Whatever.” Pietro answered.

“Cool.” Wanda shrugged. “Wanna swim?”

“Yeah, just let me put him back in his tank.” Pietro looked up, and finally noticed the crowd that had gathered, and raised a brow as they parted for him, in his very dishevelled state, sand sticking to places, water running down his abs---he obviously just gained a few fangirls today---and holding a turtle, with his mussed up white hair.

Wanda rolled his eyes at the snickering, and the fangirling gazes. And he had the audacity to say she was the more fancied twin.

Unbeknownst to her, Pietro was noticing the same thing, but for a different twin. The boys that whispered to each other with lecherous smirks, and the blushing girls and guys. And she had the audacity to say she wasn’t someone many people crushed on.

⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰

After they swimmed (and Pietro got a small sunburn on his cheek, that he still hadn’t stopped complaining about), they resurfaced at about 6:40 PM, and they had brought the towel to them, or, well, she did, so she would already be dry by the time she reached the others, Pietro had just simply ran all around the road, to dry himself, by having the air blow at him in super speed.

Useful power, at least he didn’t have to hide that.

Wanda placed her tower beside Jane and sat down. “They’re playing volleyball, right?”

“Yeah,” Laura replied.

“What’s the score?” Pietro asked.

“Steve’s team—” which consisted of Sam, Tony, Sarah, Cooper and him. “—has 2 points, and Natasha’s team—” consisting of Lila, Jane, Clint, Darcy, and Natasha “—is tied.”

Pepper was serving, her thoughts screaming “This would be much funner if Tony brought Harley.” as if Wanda didn’t already single-handedly cause the trip to be overcrowded, by bringing herself, her twin, Darcy, and Jane.

“What’s the winning score?”

“10.”

“How many wins have there been so far?”

“Natasha’s team has won 4 times out of 7.”

“Hm. Why are there 5 people in a group?”

“Uneven number of people wanted to join.” Laura shrugged.

Pietro turned to her, with a look in his eye, and she nodded. “Let’s get dressed first though.”

Once they put their clothes back on, for Pietro, just his shirt, and for Wanda, her sweatpants and shirt. They walked into the game after Natasha’s team won another point. 

“Can we join?” Pietro asked, excitedly bouncing in his steps.

“Absolutely!” Steve and Sam yelled. “Wanda, come to our side.”

Wanda walked over to their side, to the front left side of the court, which left Sarah moving to the back. Pietro took up the same spot and had Darcy move to the back. They stared at each other, as Pietro did the gesture for ‘I have my eye on you.’

‘Yeah, bitch, me too. You’re in front of me.’ she sassed back.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

Pepper served the ball towards Cooper, but in his zoning out, he fumbled it. Sarah saved it before Sam could react properly, and then it was heading towards Tony, who sent it over to the other side, near Pietro. Knowing her brother, she got ready to jump, just as she saw him flex his legs. He hopped wide and attempted to spike the volleyball into the sand, but her hand blocked it and slapped it down past his.

Natasha saved it, diving quickly, and then Lila ran after it, and managed to get it over the net. Cooper tapped it back, and Lila caught it again. For a solid 2 minutes, they just started to pass the balls back to each other, until Lila sent the ball flying towards Tony, who tapped it towards her. In all her pettiness, she stepped aside and let the ball fall in front of her, then just as it almost hit the ground, she groaned at her own competitiveness, and lunged down to catch it. Somehow succeeding in time.

Wait where was Vision—

She turned around as the volleyball was passed around, and saw some kids burying him in sand and giving him a mermaid tail design. How sweet!!!

Then the ball was going straight for her, and her face. She stepped back and pushed it back over the net, and Pietro, who was too busy smirking to himself, didn’t notice until it landed at his feet.

“Oh, it’s on.”

And that’s when the twins took it seriously. Steve and Natasha realized their mistake of putting the twins against each other in a volleyball match, when Wanda jumped up to spike down one of Pietro’s bump, high up, but she waited to jump until it was close enough, and slapped it down to hit Pietro’s arm aggressively on its way down.

Their mistake was reconfirmed when Pietro volleyed the volleyball right over Wanda’s head and began to taunt her for her height. Then again when Wanda’s eyes flashed red in response to one of Pietro’s serves, which hit Tony square in the face (although Steve had suspicions that that hit might have been on purpose, and he was right).

“Okay!!!” Steve yelled, this is definitely not working. Let’s rearrange teams!”

“Alright!” Wanda smiled, pleasant and nice, as if she hadn’t just hit Pietro square in the back of the head with a volleyball a round ago.

“Cool!” Pietro added on, as if he hadn’t caused her hands to go red with the force of his hit the round before that.

Steve rubbed his forehead. “Okay, Twins, come up here, and Nat and I will be the second team.”

“Okay, now let’s let everyone pick teams.”

“Awh, I hate this part.” Lila complained. “I’m always picked last.”

“Steve, go first.” Pepper said.

“Tony.” Steve called. Bad for him, good for them. Plus, it wasn’t like Wanda was going to let him on their team, if they hadn’t noticed yet, the Maximoff twins were petty.

“Steve.” Pietro said, and Steve turned to him, a hand on his waist and his head cocked in confusion. “Oh, sorry, I meant Clint.”

Clint scoffed in offence. “I look nothing like Steve, and my name doesn’t even start with an S!”

“Jane.” Natasha smiled.

“Lila.” Wanda smiled, opening her arms for a hug as Lila ran to them with a smile. Adorable.

“Cooper.” - Steve called.

Wanda ignored them. “Darcy.” She grinned. She’d seen how good Darcy was, even just by pure luck, at hitting the ball up high, and never letting it go out of bounds or touch the ground when it was near her. Some rounds, she carried the entire round for her team. The con, however, was that she didn’t take the game too seriously unless it was near her, so she would probably place Darcy behind Pietro, who had the tendency to react too fast sometimes. Patience was hard for someone who moved at a different speed and time.

Jane’s skills were more on controlling who the ball went to—but took the game more seriously—except Natasha already took her, because of course she’d been paying attention too.

“Sam.” Natasha called, rolling her eyes. Sam

She turned to the last one. “Sarah, hi! We haven’t officially met. I’m Wanda Maximoff!”

“Sarah Wilson.” She replied, eyes shining with amusement at her over-enthusiasm.

They got ready, and Wanda took the same spot, while Pietro took the far right end, and in the middle was Clint. In the back, from left to right, was Lila, Sarah, and then Darcy.

Steve’s formation, from top left to right to bottom left to right was Tony, Steve, Natasha, and then Sam, and… Did Vision just get sand boobs?-- wait, where was she? Right! After Sam, came Jane, and Cooper.

Wanda looked forward to beating them thoroughly. Pietro seemed to agree by the look of that grin. They thought putting the twins against each other was a mistake? Well, they’ve never seen him and her work together.

Natasha’s team got the first ball, and Natasha completely spiked it down in front of Sarah, who tried to reach it, but failed.

Once more, a crowd had formed. Of course, who wouldn’t want to watch a volleyball game just because it was being played by the Avengers? It’s like they weren’t normal people with normal mundane days, capable of playing mundane sports.

She wasn’t too mad about missing this part of being the Avenger. She liked fans, and people who wanted to tell her they appreciated saving the day, or something, but not the lack of privacy.

Still, at least there would be someone to see the ‘New Maximoff Twins’ beat Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow and so on, so forth. Was she being cocky? A little, with her and her brother against them, did she have reason to be? Absolutely.

The ball went to Wanda, who then tapped it towards Pietro, and once he did, she jumped as if she was going to spike, watching Natasha and Tony jump up to counter him, but he just grinned, and slapped it towards Wanda, who had also jumped up for a spike and spiked it down right next to Steve.

“1-0.” Pepper announced.

Wanda smiled as she landed.

The next ball was started by Natasha, which of course had her on high alert, and it went towards Lila, who got it up and almost over the net, but as it started falling back towards their court, Pietro started rushing forward, but Clint reached first, and slapped it back, to their net. Natasha reacted just as fast and pushed it back in, and Pietro had stopped rushing, and Clint wasn’t ready enough to hit it back.

“1-1!”

Pietro grumbled. “Lucky shot.”

Wanda was pretty sure that wasn’t it, but she let him have this.

Natasha placed her hands on her hips, a smirk on her face. “You tell yourself whatever you wanna say, Maximoff.”

‘Don’t let Natasha have the ball too much, or we’ll lose.’ she told him. He nodded towards empty air.

Pepper served the ball over to Wanda, who bumped it over but got it outside of the lines the teams had made as court.

“1-2!”

“Wanda!” Pietro whined.

Wanda shrugged, and focused back into the game, as Pietro leaned down to prepare for the ball. Pepper served it to Jane, who passed it over, Sarah returned it and Pietro jumped up to spike it down instead of letting it go to the other side of the net gently. Tony returned it with a spike that almost fell to their ground, but Sam dived and saved it.

After a few rounds, Pietro and Wanda were fired up, but team Natasha and Steve were in the lead, and the twins---and their problematic competitive streak---weren’t too happy about it.

“2-7!” Pepper announced, when Lila scored them a point. The Maximoff team spared a moment to clap and congratulate Lila, enjoying her shy smile, and that look in her eye after a win.

Pietro turned to Wanda, and she nodded.

Pietro passed the volleyball over to her after Pepper served it to her, and Wanda spiked it down, when Natasha and Tony jumped up on Pietro’s side, expecting a similar play to their first one.

The ball whizzed past Jane, as she stood frozen, her reflexes not quite catching up to her brain’s speed of processing things.

Wanda smiled.

“3-7!”

Pepper served it to Steve, and as soon as it went over the net by a few inches, Pietro hopped up to slap it back and it rolled down on the edge of the net, making it virtually impossible to send back, although Tony did try, slapping the ball upwards, but it wasn’t enough.

Wanda bit back her lip to keep herself from grinning too maliciously. Didn’t want to start smiling like Agatha and all that. Pietro didn’t share her restraint, and his grin was positively manic, and Natasha seemed amused by the change in their personalities after facing consecutive losses.

Wanda cast a glance towards the crowd around them, and realized they had a bet. She told Pietro in his mind while Pepper served the ball. Pietro took that exact second to yell to the crowd-- “You guys better not be betting against us!” and Steve turned to the crowd at the sound of betting. “If you are, include us. We’d love to take your money.”

“Prove you wrong.” Wanda corrected, having leapt up in the air, hand posed to slap the ball down, with a very petty little smirk. She slapped it down, and watched Tony move aside, expecting to go out of bounds, but it landed right in, barely in, but in, and he let it fall. Wanda was delighted. “He means prove you wrong, not take your money.” she added, after she landed.

“No, I know what I said.” Pietro furrowed his brows. “I want their money.”

“Shh!” Wanda hushed, causing Lila to giggle, and light scattered laughter to spread through the crowd.

“4-7!”

Pepper served it to Natasha, who spiked it down so well and fast that Pietro didn’t notice and when he was moving to react it was already past him, but Darcy was there. Wanda smiled in silent success and Darcy popped her bubble-gum, and bumped it back up towards Clint, who slapped it right down just behind Steve.

“5-7!”

“Jesus Christ, and I thought the Maximoffs fighting against each other was vicious.” Tony commented. “At least we’re still in the lead.”

“Don’t jinx us!” Cooper yelled.

“Too late.” Wanda smiled. “He said it in the presence of a witch, I’m going to win now.” She joked, scrunching her nose playfully to help Lila and Cooper realize it was a joke, and they did, laughing like kids who had just been let in on a ‘hidden secret’.

“So you admit--” Pepper threw the ball to Tony who served it…decently (that was the nicest thing she would ever think about him, the nicest he would ever get out of her). “--you’re a witch.”

Sarah bumped it towards her, “got it!” and as she bumped it back towards their court, she raised her eyebrows, “Why? Are you looking to start a witch hunt?”

Tony frowned. “Jesus, no, I was just-”

Steve bumped it back, and Wanda received the ball easily, passing it towards Pietro, who volleyed it towards Clint, who locked in, and spiked it right by the edge of the court that Sam left unprotected, too busy giving thumbs up to Sarah. The Maximoff twins may be relentless and ruthless, but Clint was unbeatable when he got a hold of the ball. She was glad Pietro took him first, and that Steve’s priorities were confusing (because it certainly wasn’t winning).

“6-7!”

Natasha got the ball, and didn’t send it far back enough to Darcy’s area for her to really pay attention, and so--

“6-8!”

She supposed it was fair that they had Natasha “I’m perfect at everything” Romanoff, since they had Clint “I can aim” Barton.

Lila volleyed the ball over to Pietro after Pepper served it to her, and Pietro volleyed it over to her, and watching everyone’s alertness, she volleyed it back to Pietro to stall, and he returned it to her once more, and she took that moment to slap it back into Steve’s court, where he almost caught it, but the sand moved under his feet, making him fall faster than he meant to, and the ball dropped inside the bounds of their court.

“7-8!”

Pepper served the ball over to Sam, who spiked it over, but Pietro, winning in height, slapped it back. Natasha returned it, and Sarah caught it behind Clint, bumping it up high instead of over the net, so the twins dashed towards it, sharing a glance, and discussing it in their heads. She stopped and moved back while Pietro bumped it towards her, and she jumped, and slapped it towards their side, but Tony reacted quickly and returned it faster than she could move, but Clint dove, hand digging into the sand and rising up, to keep the ball from the ground. His daughter bumped it strongly back into the Rogers-Romanoff court.

Steve bumped it back to theirs, to the middle front, where Clint stood, but Wanda was fast, closer, and jumped over Clint to slap it down. It hit the net, and Pietro got ready, dashing right in front of her, and in front of the net, to catch it if it didn’t go through, but it did!! Natasha tried to catch it, but Steve, stationary as he was, blocked her and caused her to crash into him, and the ball dropped.

She focused on her link with her brother, and tried to send the taunts that came to her mind about Tony to his mind. ‘Skill versus money, and money wins. I genuinely want to embarrass Tony until we win. You got any strategies for doing that?’ she faltered slightly, felt a sort of…stumble, like something small was in the way, and it just raised the difficulty of her power slightly, like she was as weak as she had been before the Snap.

‘What was that?’ Pietro asked back. ‘You broke up or something.’

‘What do you mean I broke up? I’m not some radio.’

‘Your-- you cut off. You broke up, I mean it.’ Pietro insisted. ‘You were speaking, something about skill, and then your voice started disappearing or getting really faint.’

‘Oh…’

“8-8!” Pepper yelled.

“HAH!” Wanda cheered, trying to distract herself from whatever just happened. “take that!”

Natasha pursed his lips, as she stared at her, and Wanda flushed, retreating back into herself, embarrassed.

Pepper served the ball to Cooper, and he almost got a point because Pietro got distracted sending flirty looks with someone in the crowd. Darcy, having paid attention for that half of a moment that he wasn’t, bumped it back up towards Clint, who scored them another point.

“9-8!”

“We’re winning!” Pietro yelled, elated.

“Hey, no, this isn’t fair!” Tony yelled. “Sabrina and Sonic here are cheating! They’ve been using their powers!”

“Hey, I haven’t been running at super-speed!” Pietro protested, squaring up and walking to the side of the court that Tony was at, but Wanda held him back.

“What about your reflexes, huh?” Tony exclaimed. “That’s part of your powers!”

Wanda had seen this coming (from a mile away).

“And the communicating! You guys are obviously talking about plans.”

“What? Communication is cheating now? You guys talk during rounds too.” Wanda retorted.

“Yeah!” Lila and Darcy backed.

“And my reflexes aren’t part of my powers---I think---it’s just mine-- me!” Pietro exclaimed.

“This isn’t fair, the twins are-” Tony began to turn around, walking towards their spot.

“What, you backing out?” Pietro challenged. “That much of a coward, Stark?”

Cooper, Darcy, and Lila ‘ooh’-ed. It spoke volumes of Darcy that she was the only adult ‘ooh’-ing along with the children.

Tony turned back to her, stopping where he stood, beside Steve. “Oh you know what? Pepper, serve the ball.” He ran back into his spot.

After the longest round ever, in which the frontlines of team OG Avengers finally started to work together rather than individually and actually began to communicate, and the twins refused to back down, and didn’t leave anything up to chance—which meant toss the ball to Clint—and leave Darcy to catch what Pietro couldn’t, and leave Lila, Sarah and Clint to try to catch what Wanda couldn’t.

Eventually, after Lila bumped the ball upwards, Wanda jumped, arching her back, and hit the ball downwards as much as she could.

“10-8!”

The game ended with the ball at Jane’s feet.

Team Maximoff-Barton-Wilson and Darcy cheered loudly, and jumped in joy. There were grumbles from their audience, of course, such is the answer the twins were expecting the moment they realized a lot of people were betting against them.

To their defense, most sane people would indeed have thought that a team with three of the first Avengers would win. Too bad they didn’t know the twins were extremely competitive, practiced for years in volleyball—in Sokovia, one of the few sports they could play freely was volleyball. All they’d need is to hit it high, and keep it up in the air, they didn’t need too much wide space, and more than two people, and soccer often got blocked by shells and trash on the ground—and that Tony and Steve in one team was less of a strong team and more of a will-argue-until-we-lose sort of team.

Especially if Natasha would be too focused on watching the ball, which Wanda made sure to limit coming to her, to stop the two strong-headed Avengers from arguing.

Wanda knew they were screwed the moment they got Clint, and Steve took Tony. She knew what they didn’t; The Civil War.

At least they put up a good fight, if Tony had picked the teams, it would have been win after win for them. Tony didn’t have the best history on team-picking, and even Pietro had pointed this out before—

(“So he picked a warrior who wanted revenge on Bucky, a 14-year-old kid he basically kidnapped, a friend of his that always puts up with his bullshit, a 2-year-old synthezoid, and a spy looking for redemption by following the law and trying to do the right thing? None of them are actually working for HIS cause. He pulled up in a fight with people who’s resolve would crumble under a gust, and Steve came with ride-or-die allies, and Tony WON that fight?”)

There was a lot of disbelief from Pietro’s side after he found out who Tony’s team consisted of, and that he won.

Then again, Steve also did bring two dads, a grieving witch, a formerly brainwashed soldier, and another soldier with mechanical wings that could not stop arguing with the formerly brainwashed soldier, so, he wasn’t that amazing at team-picking either.

But then again, who exactly in the Avengers was? Certainly not Tony, Steve, or Pietro (ex: his Ultimate Beastmasters representing duos), and Bruce and Clint probably wouldn’t be either. No, perhaps Clint would be quite good…

She mulled over this as they returned to the car, and everyone huddled back for the long drive back to where everyone would be dropped off. Pietro talked to everyone (-Tony), while she considered pros and cons.

She looked up after they dropped Jane and Darcy off, and saw Natasha look at her.

Good job, Natasha mouthed.

Wanda turned scarlet.

⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰

Pietro finally chose what mission they would go on.

After their discussion, and many rehearsals on how to use her powers and look like she was struggling. Pietro had reminded her what heavy things she could lift easily, and just exactly how much weight she could lift, and told her all he knew about her powers during this current era. Wanda used his knowledge to practice acting like she was struggling, because trying to make your struggling look accurate when you didn’t even know your limits, was hard, but pretending with Pietro’s knowledge of her powers (and pretending, in general) was all too easy. Pietro had made a comment about how she could become an actress if she didn’t become an Avenger, and she simply winced and moved on. She didn’t know how to tell her brother that in WestView, she kind of had made herself into an actress.

Years of pretending to be fine, and emotionally stable, and reacting to others appropriately despite her true emotions, and lying, were apparently all she needed to become a good actress and she had done that for years, even before WestView/WandaVision. It was kind of sad that the closest she got to fully being able to grieve, and work through her depression, and work on herself, was also the time she had been reminded she was a monster, and drowned in guilt, and the same place and time period where she almost became a better version of herself, was the same place and time period where she drowned all over again in guilt, depression and grief.

Fate was funny like that.

“Genuinely please do not start laughing again.” Pietro says, from his bed, as he dropped the small plastic canister of food down into Mister Dibbles, and the turtle food container back in its place, on the shelf behind his mirror--they both had their own mirror on their side of the room (Wanda had the right, he had the left) above their pets--embedded in the wall.

Wanda turns to him, shocked. She had only thought that, and far as they knew, she was the mind reader between the two of them…

“What?”

“Every time you say fate is funny, you start laughing so hard it’s like you’re trying to kill yourself, and it’s scary.”

“Piet, I didn’t say it.” She paused the episode of Dick Van Dyke. “I thought it.”

“Oh, oka-- wait, what? What does that mean? What do you mean?”

“I mean… Did you just read my mind?”

“No, I heard you say it. Like when you say things inside my head, I heard you. I didn’t read anything.”

“Piet, I wasn’t sending my thoughts to you.”

“Well, maybe it’s your powers.” He shrugs. “I can’t read minds. I heard you.”

Wanda knew it was possible. Her powers were ever-growing, always becoming stronger and more powerful as every second passed. And their bond did exist, so he was more susceptible to his thoughts being shared to her, and it was easier for her to send her thoughts to Pietro than anyone else, and that’s why she often preferred mental conversations with him, because it was easy (and less tiring, and more private than speaking).

If his thoughts and her thoughts were more susceptible and easy to pass through each other, maybe the more their powers, specifically her, and the closer they got to each other--and they were already plenty close--then the stronger their bond became, and the easier their thoughts passe through each other, until it would have to be filtered, and Wanda would have to strengthen her mental walls, or keep them up, so her thoughts wouldn’t be constantly leaked to Piet, and his thoughts leaked to her.

Maybe it was possible for their bond to keep growing along with their powers until it reached a certain point when their thoughts would be shared, and it would be near impossible to keep their minds and thoughts shielded from each other, and keep secrets from the other.

“Maybe.” She replied, instead of telling him about all of her theories.

She raised her mental walls up with Pietro, but only half-way through, enough that their thoughts could still pass by each other and they could both have some semblance of easy access to the other’s mind and presence. She hadn’t fully put her mental walls up between her and Pietro like she had for her and the rest of the world, since his near death attempt. In case she would ever need to protect him again, in fear that she wouldn’t be able to, and she would lose him all over again like she did in her first lifetime, and because her mental walls were up, she wouldn’t be able to see how much danger he was in, wouldn’t be able to keep him safe and alive, wouldn’t be able to do anything aside from feel him die, and that connection severed.

But she digressed, Pietro had chosen their mission for them, since Wanda was prepared, and powerful enough to keep herself and them safe, and clear the mission, probably even with her eyes closed. So Pietro chose the funnest one, and the one where he would get a bigger role, so he’d have more fun, and Wanda would get a smaller role, so she could have less trouble, and focus on making sure the mission went smoothly.

Now they were gearing up for the Quinjet, and Wanda was putting on her combat boots, thigh-high socks, and while she was trying to choose what to wear as her top and bottom, Pietro piped in from the bathroom, peeking his head out; “Why don’t you just put on your Scarlet Witch clothes?”

She scoffed, as she sifted through her closet and the clothes she had hung up. “Pietro, the whole point of you choosing this particular mission was so that they wouldn’t know about me being the Scarlet Witch.”

“No, I mean-- you said you could change it right? So just change it up, and wear it, so you don’t get any of your clothes ruined.”

“That is true,” she hummed, throwing her boots back onto the shoe rack with her magic, as well as the socks. “Nice idea.”

Pietro grinned, self-satisfied, and frankly, a little smug. She turns away from him, and thinks of what she wants her outfit to be, and since it’ll be Scarlet with hints of black, as it always is, she doesn’t have to worry about the colour scheme. She thought about her Civil War superhero ‘suit’ (honestly, it was actually really sexist of Tony to give him something that looked more practical for a superhero photoshoot, than fighting, because her outfit was such a fucking handicap during any battle). She liked the outfit, but it wasn’t practical, or comfortable, but with her Scarlet Witch regalia being able to change, she can change that.

Red ripples down her body, leaving behind a long red coat, stopping behind her knees, and a better, fitter, comfortable tight red corset that hugged her body well, and accentuated her figure, without restricting her breathing, digging into her skin too much or itching, when she moved wrong. It was perfectly comfortable and fit for her. Along with the long red jacket and corset, she wore black leather pants—because her powers were kind enough to mimic leather for her without killing an animal for it—with fur inside so she wouldn’t be cold. And black ankle-high combat boots, of course.

She was tempted to wear her… no, you know what? She was going to wear it.

The door to the bathroom opened behind her, and Pietro began a slow clap. “You look beautiful, sestra!” He complimented. When she let her crown flicker into existence, and wore jewellery  that she created into existence: a silver ring with Pietro’s name engraved on it, and a necklace with the design of her crown to symbolize her and her brother. He clapped harder. “You look like a Queen, sestra! As you should! You look perfect, you will have everyone’s jaw dropping. N- the toaster, especially.”

Wanda smiled at her brother, “As sweet as you are, Piet. Vision never… he didn’t really… he was more, like, graysexual. He didn’t really feel sexual cravings, so it was rare that even if I pulled up in an outfit like this, would he be affected.” She shrugged. “In fact, in WandaVision, Agatha—Agnes, at the time, who was my ‘nosey neighbour’—flirted with me far more than he ever did, even in front of my children, and in front of fake you. She didn’t really try to hide her attempts to check me out blatantly in front of everyone, and often hinted that I should initiate some sort of touch between us, even after she revealed herself. There were also the moments when she got bolder, kissing my cheek from behind in front of my husband, though only off-camera.”

She walked past him to exit the room, while her brother stood there, stunned, for some reason. His head tilted, and his brows furrowed, the perfect picture of confusion. Halfway through the hall, Pietro stuck his head out the room and started jogging after her—

“Agatha? The woman who made you relive your trauma, hijacked your fake reality, made you meet a fake me, took your children hostage, and tried to steal your powers? AND SHE FLIRTED WITH YOU!?”

Wanda threw her arms up. “Yell it out for the entire world to know, why don’t you?! FRIDAY, please delete the last 3 minutes from your memory permanently.” She rolled her eyes as he caught up with her and said sorry sheepishly. “But yes. I could probably make the 9 episodes of WandaVision into discs, and you could see for yourself.”

“Please do!” Pietro exclaimed. “I want to know just how this woman flirted with you— and if the other me was as attractive.”

Wanda fondly smiled at him, and patted his head like she patted Liho’s head, gently and on a human? Very patronizingly. “Yeah, stay as you are forever, please.”

Pietro rolled his eyes, and swatted her hand away, wrapping his arm around her neck, and digging his knuckles into her head. “I’m 12 minutes older than you, so get off your high horse, sestra.”

She waved him off with a dismissive hand gesture, and kept walking. They reached the elevator, and stood in silence until it got to the floor where the Quinjet was, and exited in silence too. They didn’t really know what topic to move on from, and as they walked closer to the Quinjet, the reality of what they were about to come into was settling in quicker.

Wanda would have to use her acting skills to hide her power, and Pietro would have to hear his sister grunt in effort, and pretend to be struggling, and not come to her defense, even if she takes a hit, and trust her abilities.

And also a mission.

“What did you choose for our mission?” Wanda whispered when they were inside the Quinjet, putting on their seatbelts.

“Just a rescue mission.” He whispered back. “Some former SHIELD agents need to be rescued from their undercover mission today, and we’re the strength of the backup. Seemed simple.”

To Wanda, it sounded like the exact type of mission where there was the most room for possible complications, considering no matter how much the undercover former SHIELD agents gave info on the organization or building they were working in, there was probably some sort of secret kept from them, and therefore kept secret from the twins.

And secrets could be dangerous in a mission.

Still, she trusted her brother, and he would never put them in danger, and even if he did, it would be unknowingly, and that was what her power was for.

No one could ever hurt them again.

They could try, but she was the Scarlet Witch, and she would be damned if she’d let them.

It took longer than the twins thought, and by the time they arrived, Pietro had dozed off, and slept on her. Pietro’s head on her shoulder, and hers on his head, although she was again, astral projecting.

“We’re here.” Steve said, shaking Pietro awake.

Steve had probably learned his lesson since the couch incident. Waking her up first often led to…

Pietro began to stir awake, and take notice of his surroundings immediately, even before his eyes opened. An important skill to have when you sleep out in the open on the streets, around thieves and lowlives (not that they weren’t thieves and lowlives either). Wanda did it too, but considering she had spent the hour he spent sleeping, floating around in the surroundings, she knew she was safe.

“We’re here?” Pietro asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah, we’re here. Do you need a moment to wake up a little?” Steve asked.

“No-ahhhhh-” Pietro yawned. “I can go. I’m awake enough. Just– just a second.” he yawned again, and blinked a few times.

“Okay, I’m— we’re good to go.” Pietro nodded.

“Alright, then, if you’re sure.” Natasha said, raising a brow, despite Pietro’s sleepy but over-eager nod. “We’ll still give you guys a few minutes.”

Pietro nodded, and rubbed at his eyes a few more times, yawning for the third time. Then his abilities kicked in and he finally actually awoke. He shook his arms out, and slapped his cheeks. “Okay! Awake!”

Wanda sent a stream of chaos magic to her hand as well, to prepare herself. Recently, her magic, though still working flawlessly, has been slightly… Not quite faltering, but something close to it, and there was a sort of difficulty in channelling it to perform harder spells---and by that, she means warping reality around to create an obstacle course for Pietro while lifting everything in the training room around to make space for said course---not quite enough to actually matter, because she was powerful, powerful. Just…slightly less effortless as it once was.

Then again, Wanda might have just been overthinking it, since she hadn’t used many stronger spells in quite a while, and probably needed to ‘exercise’ her magic, just as Pietro exercised his body.

She felt it again, as she channelled her magic into her hand, not quite a block, but a hesitance, a second delay before her magic obeyed. Something was…off.

Still, she didn’t think it would make a difference, she was still as powerful as she always was, and she wouldn’t even need to use most of that power for a simple mission, even if it went wrong, so she nodded to Pietro.

⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰

They got off the Quinjet, with Steve’s voice in the comms in their ears, telling them where to go. Or, he had done so a few seconds ago, reading all the directions without stop, because Pietro was running at super speed, carrying Wanda, and Pietro could obviously run faster than Steve could read out loud.

When they arrived, they hid right behind a bush, staring at the entrance. And behind them, were their own agents, former SHIELD agents too probably or something, she didn’t know, and didn’t ask. She trusted Pietro and Natasha—and Steve. They wouldn’t let her be in harm’s way. Except for when they were the ones putting her in harm’s way directly. (ex; Civil War, The time Pietro had her steal from a food stall despite the man already remembering her face and being wary of her, because he desperately wanted the man’s bread, and that time in the future that Natasha nearly threw her off the building while trying to teach her how to fly, thank god for Sam).

“When are the agents supposed to come?” Pietro asked.

There was a crash, a bang, and then a flash of light, or better yet described as an explosion. And from the entrance, right after the explosion, came running two figures, screaming and holding something in their hands.

She guessed, with good reason to, that that was when the Agents were supposed to come. They seemed just as chaotic and a mess as her and Pietro were.

“Go!” She urged him, and Pietro sped off towards the Agents, while Wanda followed him with her eyes, protecting him with a barrier behind the Agents, to stop the bullets. After a few seconds, Pietro’s voice echoed in her mind.

‘Struggle a little.’

She furrowed her brows, buckled her legs and let out a small groan as she kept the barrier up. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw it falter, nearly breaking after a bullet, before it strengthened again.

What was happening?

She turned away from it, and watched Pietro lift the man onto his back, and the woman---was that Jennifer?---into his arms, he buckled under the weight and turned to Wanda.

The agents behind them kept shooting towards the HYDRA agents.

She moved an arm from how it was outstretched forward to keep the barrier intact, and moved one towards Pietro and the agents, to carry their weight for him. She actually buckled slightly, her legs weakening. She didn’t think much of it, just probably something to do with how she hadn’t done anything that required any sort of effort until now. Behind her, a probably-SHIELD agent nearly got hit, but their bulletproof vest protected him/her/them. Wanda felt a pang of guilt, and confusion, as the agent stumbled backwards until they were knocked over, and Wanda pulled them up with her spare hand.

She kept it up until Pietro got back to her side, and set the Agents down. She let the barrier down and turned to them. “Did you guys get what you needed?”

Jennifer nodded. “Yes, but how are we going to get to the Quinjet? They’re going to come after us.”

Wanda smiled, “You just worry about running.” She turned back to the soldiers approaching them, while Pietro moved into his running stance. “We’ll hold them off.”

They nodded, and began to run, while Pietro and Wanda held back the barrage of soldiers, and bullets. While Wanda sent out hex bolts into the ground, causing explosions that took small groups of soldiers out, and then pausing to pant and stop, and act like she was struggling. In that span of time, Pietro ran towards the soldiers, dodging bullets and knocking down soldiers, and taking their guns.

Wanda paused a second, and grunted under the weight of the bullets. She couldn’t forget to act weak in this mission.

She kept an eye on Pietro as best she could, to make sure he didn’t get hit with bullets (he didn’t have the best track-record with running fast enough to avoid bullets).

“We got them.” Steve’s voice said. “Retreat!”

Wanda and Pietro turned to each other, and smiled at each other, nodding their heads. Pietro began to run faster, having fun with the soldiers, while Wanda blasted and lifted soldiers, like toys. Them, she could go against without doubting whether she was doing the right thing and if they were actually innocent.

HYDRA would never be innocent.

‘Behind  you, Piet!’, Wanda warned.

He turned around and dodged a bullet, ‘Thanks, sis!’

Probably-SHIELD agents ran past them, retreating, per Steve’s orders.

Wanda nodded, and continued on. There really wasn’t much to this mission, it was straightforward and simple, and probably why Pietro chose it. All they’d have to do was be the back-up, and better power against the HYDRA soldiers to shield and help the probably-SHIELD agents, and soldiers.

‘Wow you really have no idea where these soldiers are from.’  Pietro snickered

Wanda’s magic cut out for a second again, and she had to focus to keep bringing it out, before it then began to get as effortless as it should be.  She turned her body, or well, her torso, and there was a slight burning pain in her stomach, but she didn’t mind it, it was probably just a stomach-ache, and her magic would take care of it. But one thing was for sure—

Something was wrong.

She didn’t tell Pietro, and kept it out of her mind, to let him keep his focus and stay out of danger, instead of running to her in worry.

“Retreat, Maximoffs!” Steve demanded. “Now!”

Pietro tch-ed, and stopped after he rammed his shoulder into a soldier’s gut and shoved him down to the ground, then kicked him to make sure he was unconscious. “Fine!” Pietro exclaimed. He began to run back towards her, while Wanda kept a barrier behind them, and as the soldiers began to disappear from their view, she threw the barrier forward to knock them down. A wave of exhaustion passed through her body after. She watched the remaining probably-SHIELD soldiers run past them, in their retreat.

“That was a pretty successful mission, wouldn’t you think?” Pietro smirked, as he ran up the Quinjet. The probably-SHIELD soldiers were probably in a different vehicle, she couldn’t think.

Feeling weak and lightheaded, she could only nod.

Maybe she was just really hungry.

Pietro placed her down, and started walking towards Steve, who was just exiting the pilot’s seat. Steve turned to both of them with a proud smile, while Natasha glared from the back.

“You did great. Especially for your first mission, you guys really do work well together. Good job, Maximoffs.” Steve said, at the same time as Natasha said—

“Never do that again! When you’re told to retreat, you retreat! Listen to him, it’s for both of your safety!”

But Wanda couldn’t focus much after she tried to call upon her magic to create a snack for herself before she fainted. She didn’t know if they said anything after that, because suddenly, the sharp pain from before came back, contrary to what she assumed, her magic hadn’t taken care of it. She groaned in pain and frustration, because this was supposed to be gone, and added pressure down onto that spot on her stomach. Then she felt something wet.

With dread and horror at what it could be, she lifted her hand from her stomach, and turned her trembling hand towards her, and there it was—

Blood.

Then everything was dimming, her eyes starting to close. She saw Pietro extend an arm towards her, as if trying to catch her, with a panicked look on his face and his lips parted, as he yelled.

She faintly, barely, heard him yell her name. There was that sharp pain—like burning—again, she shifted slightly, and it hurt even worse. Then there was a sort of dull thud or clang (both?), and pain on the back of her head bloomed.

Well, shit.

Something really was off.